The Mysterious Namek
by Gothic Piccolo
Summary: A ship crashes in the desert. Inside is a Namek who has never had any contact with people, language or anything else. Who is he? Where did he come from? Why is he here?
1. Survivor's Arrival

I was inspired to write this story after seeing the movie "Nell" with Jodie Foster. Just thought I'd let you all know where this crazy idea came from, because this is my first fic and I want to make my debute with a series. 

_The Mysterious Namek_   
_Episode One: "Survivor's Arrival"_

_Look into the others eyes,_   
_many frustrations_   
_Read between the lines,_   
_no words just vibrations_   
_Don't ignore hidden desires_   
_Pay attention,_   
_you're playing with fire_

_Silence must be heard,_   
_noise should be observed_   
_The time has come to learn, that silence ..._   
_Silence must be heard_   
_Or diamonds will burn,_   
_friendly cards will turn_   
_'Cause silence has the right to be heard_

_People talk too much for what they have to say_   
_Words without a meaning,_   
_just fading away_

_Silence must be heard,_   
_noise should be observed_   
_The time has come to learn, that silence ..._   
_Silence must be heard_   
_Or diamonds will burn,_   
_friendly cards will turn_   
_'Cause silence has the right to be heard_   
-- Enigma, "Silence Must Be Heard"   


Explosions painted the sky various shades of red, orange and gold. The remains of a devastated city crumbled in flames that engulfed people as they dashed through the streets. Screams rang out from all direction as blood started to flow into the gutters as easily as rain-water. 

A running shape cast a long shadow on the wall as the person dashed in a blur of speed towards what remained of the Capsule Corporation building. So filthy that the real color was impossible to identify, a hand pushed aside debris to reveal an old glistening machine. 

The figure climbed into the machine, and the crackle of nearby fires was punctuated by the sound of fingers fervently pressing buttons. Suddenly, a horrid scream of pain came forth, cut off by the sound of ripping flesh. More debris started to rain down, drowning out the thud of a falling body as the glistening machine rose into the air for a swift take-off. It passed through mile-high flames that seemed to lick at the metal and glass. 

A figure hovered, silhouetted by a curtain of fire, observing the devastation below. Black fingernails scintillated as a pale index finger extended to destroy the last survivors on the ground. A pair of girlish lips pulled into a smirk. When a flash of white fire illuminated them, the lips were revealed to be as black as ebony.   
  


Gohan reached up to brush some of his dark hair out of his eyes when he felt a strange power suddenly appear out of nowhere. He frowned and dropped his pencil, knowing something weird was going on. Normally, a power was supposed to gradually become apparent as it became closer, like a slow-burning fire growing hotter. 

"I wonder what that could be…" The boy wondered silently, gazing out his window.   
  


At the very same time Gohan felt the power, Bulma was in the process of testing a new flying machine when something crashed into the desert she was flying over. It looked like a fireball appearing out of nowhere, trailing wispy tendrils of smoke and fire as it hurtled towards the dust. 

"What on Earth?" Bulma blinked and leaned over the side window to gaze down at the smoking wreckage. "My gosh! Someone could be hurt! I'd better check it out." 

The strange purple contraption with a propeller on top slowly descended, creating a down-draft that blew out the fire around whatever had crashed. There was a sharp hiss as the engines cut off, and the propeller blades came to a gradual halt. 

Bulma's blue hair was blasted into her face as she stepped out of the machine and into the biting desert wind. Smoke from the crash stung in her eyes, and she could feel the heat from the trashed ship's re-entry on her skin. Glass crunched under her shoes as she slowly approached, raising a hand to keep most of the dust out of her eyes. She didn't know what to expect. 

Suddenly, a piece of the rubble moved! Metal crunched and glass clinked. A slender green hand, stained purple with blood and adorned with a thin metal bracelet, pushed above the rubble and groped helplessly. 

"Oh…" Bulma took a breath, hurried over and grabbed the hand in preparation to pull the person out of the wreckage. As soon as she touched the hand, there was an animalistic shriek of terror and the hand was jerked from her grasp. The only thing she still had ahold of was the bracelet, which had broken off. 

Also, at the same moment the hand withdrew, debris went everywhere and a green figure exploded out of the wreck. The figure took off running in terror, covered only by a filthy, slightly torn and bloodstained blanket. Bulma was sure she saw pointed ears and antennae. 

Trademarks belonging only to a Namek. 

"Hey!" She cried, trying to catch up. "I can help you! Don't run!" 

But by the time she caught sight of the frightened Namek, she lost him, because the wind blew sand in her face. It forced her to blink, and that moment was all the Namek needed to disappear into the desert. 

"Oh great…" Bulma lowered her blue eyes to gaze at the bracelet, which had strange writing on the underside. 

The bracelet had strange symbols engraved on it. Either it was a decoration, or another language, but Bulma couldn't figure out which. She made up her mind quickly and climbed back into the contraption, needing only to glance at the mirror to realize what the desert wind had done to her short hair. 

"Oh man!" Bulma quickly ran a brush through her hair before picking up the phone.   
  


Gohan jumped up from his homework when the phone rang. "I'll get it!" He raced into the living room and picked up the receiver. "_Moshi-moshi?_" 

"Gohan!" Bulma cried on the other end, "You'll never believe what I think I found!" 

Gohan blinked, sat down and started winding the phone cord around his pale fingers. The years of battle had finally marked his hands with scars and calluses, and his mother wasn't too happy about it either. She often fell to pieces and went on and on about her son becoming a delinquent. 

"Well, what? C'mon Bulma. Does it have anything to do with a power I felt earlier?" 

"You felt a power? Then that confirms it!" Something clinked in the background on Bulma's end of the phone, then her voice returned, "A ship crashed almost right on top of me and freaked me out. But that's not the weird part…" More clanking, then her voice, "…there was a Namek in the wreck, but I think he was scared or something. When I tried to help him, he ran away and I don't think I can find him by myself. I've got a bracelet he was wearing and it's got something engraved on it. It might be Namekian." 

"I'll be right there, Bulma. Stay where you are." Gohan hung up before she had a chance to answer. He was headed for the door when his dark-haired mother stepped into his path with her hands on her hips. 

"Just WHERE do you think YOU are going, young man?" 

"Aw, mom! I'm just gonna go - " 

" - Back to your room to study!" Chi-Chi finished for him, then ushered him back into his room with him protesting the entire time. 

Gohan sighed and sat down at his desk until he was sure his mother was gone. Then he turned to the window he often used when he needed to sneak out and climbed over the sill. He gave another sigh as he cast a last glance behind him before taking off into the distance.   
  


Bulma waited patiently for Gohan, passing the time by picking through as much of the wreck as she could and finding it surprising that it didn't stay hot for very long after re-entry. She found the main computer and was able to find only one functioning computer console. A piece of information was all she had to go by, and that information was that whatever kind of ship this was, it was in use for nearly twenty years. 

"Bulma!" Gohan called from in the distance. 

"Heeeeeeeeeeeey! Down here!" Bulma waved up at her young friend as he released his ki, did a front flip and landed on his feet. 

"Hi, Bulma." He smiled a little, then looked over the wreckage when a few sparks flew and more smoke crawled up, "Gosh…it's hard to believe someone would survive this…it looks totally trashed!" 

"I know. Oh!" Her eyes opened wide as she remembered the bracelet and retrieved it from her pocket. "Here, this is the bracelet I saw." 

Gohan reached up and took the tarnished metal into his hand. He held it close to his face, his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth as he took a good look at the symbols. "I think this is Namekian. I remember seeing symbols kind of like these on Dende's homework!" 

"Cool, at least we can take this to Dende or Piccolo later and have them translate it. Right now, we should go find that Namek."   
  


At that very moment, Chi-Chi was entering Gohan's room with a glass of orange juice. When she saw that Gohan was gone, she screamed, dropped the glass and ran to the window. But her son was long gone, and she had no hope of finding which way he went. 

"Nooo…my only son is becoming a delinquent!" She sobbed, lowering to sit on Gohan's bed. "Where did I go wrong?"   


"I think he's in here…I can sense him. He doesn't seem to be very powerful." Gohan spoke loudly over the loud engines of the flying machine as he turned away from the rocky terrain spreading out below, "I think we should go down and take a look." 

Bulma nodded and touched a few buttons on the controls. "OK, going down." 

The purple aircraft vibrated slightly as it lowered. Dust and sand was blown around as the craft landed, the propeller once again whirring to a halt. Wind whipped Gohan's black hair, which didn't get into his eyes because his mother had insisted upon trimming it down. 

There was a flash of green among the rocks. 

"There!" Bulma pointed. 

"I saw him!" Gohan took off towards the Namek, who emitted a frightened cry and turned to run the opposite way with the filthy blanket he wore billowing behind him like a banner. The cloth was so dirty that it was impossible to identify the color. The tall Namek didn't run very fast, but he had a pretty good head-start, and Gohan didn't want to frighten him more by using Zanzoken or anything. He smirked when he realized the poor guy had dashed into a small cave with only one entrance. It was a cave he himself once used years ago when Piccolo had forced him to live alone in the wilderness. 

Gohan wasn't even breathing hard when he reached the mouth of the dimly-lit cave, but he could hear the Namekian's breathing back by the far wall. Looking around briefly with eyes as dark as his hair, the young man spotted the frightened green alien huddled up against the wall with his arms wrapped around his drawn-up knees. 

"Hey…hi there…don't be scared." Gohan stepped closer, but the green man flinched and pressed himself further against the wall like a frightened little child. He was watching the young man with black eyes as intense as a hawk, yet filled with the innocence of a dove. His gaze alone pierced Gohan's soul. 

Again, the frightened Namek tried to flinch away when the half-Saiyajin moved closer. Gohan blinked and took another step closer. The Namek didn't move; Gohan realized why a few seconds later when he heard a loud trickling noise and saw liquid streaming out from between the green alien's legs, where it formed a puddle that ran down the sloping floor to pool against the far wall. The poor guy was so scared he was peeing on himself, yet he didn't seem to notice at all, his intense eyes still fixed on the young man standing so close to him. 

"Golly…you're a mess." Gohan said softly, leaning forward a little, "I'm not going to hurt you…my name's Gohan. Can you understand me at all?" Still no response, save for that frightened stare. Then Gohan got an idea and backed away slowly to where Bulma was waiting outside the cave. "Hey, Bulma? Get a bottled water and bring it here. If his mind works the way I think it does, we may be able to lure him into the ship with us." 

"Are you crazy!? What if he starts throwing blasts around or something!?" Bulma shrieked. 

"Bulma, if we leave him here alone, he'll die!" Gohan cried back. "Please?" 

She sighed, running a hand through her short blue hair. Turning on her heel, she headed to her ship, retrieved a bottle of water and returned with it. Handing it over, she said, "You owe me big-time for this." 

"Thanks, Bulma." He took the lid off, walked to the mouth of the cave and sipped the water. "Mmm…good. You want some?" 

The Namek didn't move, save for the motion of his eyes flickering to the bottled water and back. He licked his lips once, stretched a skinny arm out and tried to grasp the bottle, but Gohan moved back a little. Just as he'd thought, the green alien groped again, standing on his knees for farther reach. Again, Gohan took a few steps back, and again, the Namek reached for it. 

It wasn't long before Gohan was backing out of the cave with the tall, thin Namek trailing behind him like a rabbit drawn to a carrot on a string. 

"That's it, just a little further and you can have it all you want." Gohan spoke softly to the Namek, who had made it very clear that he didn't seem to understand a word being said to him. 

Bulma was already in the pilot seat, ready to take off before the green man could get away, but she was pretty sure the engine was going to scare him to death when it came on. Her suspicions proved correct, because as soon as the door was shut, the Namek began to panic and crash around like a caged animal. When the engine started, he shrieked in terror and started practically climbing the walls. 

"Whoa! Hey, hey! Easy!" Gohan tried to hold the frightened man down, a feat that proved easier than thought, and tried to reward him for quieting down by allowing him a drink from the bottled water. The frightened Namek had taken too much fear for one day, however, and shut himself down from as much stimulation as possible. His eyes were fiercely shut and he curled himself into as tight a ball as he could get. He wouldn't react to any speech or physical contact at all. Someone could have kicked him in the head and he wouldn't have reacted in any way. 

"Is he OK?" Bulma asked, looking over her shoulder worriedly with a frown. "I hope he didn't die from being so scared." 

"No," Gohan answered while looking down at the Namek. He carefully eased the filthy blanket off his green form and replaced it with a cleaner one. The material of the blanket felt familiar, but he didn't think anything of it as he watched over the scared alien. "But he is petrified." 

"I don't blame him." 

About a half-hour passed before Bulma brought the purple machine in for a landing outside the Capsule Corporation. Gohan had to pick the Namekian up and carry him inside because he'd sunk into something similar to a catatonic state. He followed Bulma into one of the spare bedrooms and gently put the green alien down on the bed. 

"There we go…no more loud engines. It's OK." Said Gohan as he pulled the blanket up over the Namek, who didn't move or even open his eyes. The half-Saiyajin watched over his silent new "friend" for a moment more and sighed before leaving. 

Once alone, the green man promptly slithered out of bed, taking most of the sheets with him, and huddled up in one of the corners with his cheek resting on his drawn-up knees. He emitted soft murmuring noises from his throat and started rocking back and forth, scared out of his mind by the unfamiliar world he was just thrust into. 

He was unusually thin, the kind of thin only achieved by lack of proper nutrition. His bones vaguely stood out under his skin, and his cheeks were sunken so his cheekbones stood out prominently beneath the dark hooded orbs of his eyes. 

Outside the door, Gohan emitted a sigh of relief and handed Bulma the filthy blanket. "This was his, just in case you want to do something with it. Would you mind if I borrowed the bracelet so I could let Piccolo and Dende take a look at it?" 

"Oh," Bulma fished around in her pocket until she produced the tarnished silver trinket. It glittered dully in the light, and some of the dirt on it rubbed off on Gohan's skin when his sweaty, but curious fingers slid across it's surface. She handed it to him, "Here, go knock yourself out. I'll see you later." 

"Thanks a lot. Bye!" Gohan pocketed the bracelet, headed out the door and took off for the Lookout.   
  


High above the planet Earth, on a structure resembling a child's toy top, a short green form was peering down over the edge while a larger green shape with a white cape stood nearby with his arms crossed. Both were sensing an approaching power, and both immediately knew it was Gohan. 

"Gohan's almost here." Dende commented, turning to look up at the taller Namek. "I'm more than sure it's all about what happened earlier with that ship crashing." 

Piccolo's only reply was a simple nod; he wasn't a man of many words, never was. His attention turned to the rapidly approaching shape as it came closer, and only after Gohan had landed did he speak with a deep voice often likened to echoing thunder in a canyon, "Hey, kid." 

"Hi, Piccolo. Hi, Dende." Gohan greeted his two Namekian friends cheerfully. "I guess you guys know why I'm here, so I'll make things simple." He reached into his pocket and retrieved the bracelet. "Is this Namekian writing?" 

Piccolo extended a large, slender hand and took the bracelet from Gohan's grasp. He examined it closely, nodded and handed it over to Dende, who also nodded as he spoke, "It's Namekian alright, but all it has here is a name." He handed the bracelet back to Gohan. 

"Oh? What's it say?" 

"Setsuetsu." Answered Piccolo. 

"It means 'my hope' in Namekian." Dende added in while clutching his wooden stick in both hands. He looked almost comical that way, because the stick was taller than he was. 

"Setsuetsu…" Gohan repeated to memorize it. "That's kinda neat. Thanks a lot you guys." 

Piccolo allowed himself the smallest smile as he watched Gohan put the bracelet away again. He could still see him as that frightened toddler who knew nothing of the real world, untainted by life. In a way, he envied that innocence, yet found being near Gohan as the closest thing he would ever have to feeling what he never got a chance to feel. 

"Hey, Piccolo? Why don't you come meet this guy? I mean…he may not be so scared if he meets another Namek." Gohan suggested. 

Piccolo quirked a hairless green brow ridge, "Scared? Why would he be scared?" 

"Well…he acted as if he's never seen the real world at all. I mean…he peed all over the ground when I got really close to him, and I don't think he even understands someone if they talk to him. He's like an animal…" Gohan tried hard not to giggle about the serious situation, but that was only because the mystery of what Piccolo hid under his clothes was finally solved. _It's funny…they're asexual, yet they have *that* to pee with. Pretty weird if you ask me…_

"If that is the case, then I don't see how my presence would do him any good other than show him he's not the only green alien running around." He frowned at Gohan's slightly amused expression, then dismissed it as the typical behavior of youth. 

"Maybe, but he may feel safer around you too… Just…would you please at least meet him before you judge him?" Gohan started giving Piccolo his puppy-face, and Piccolo hissed in annoyance. He really hated it when Gohan looked at him like that. 

"I guess." He finally replied after standing in silence for several tense moments. "But if he turns out to be retarded or something…I don't know if it would be possible to help him. I'll come, but if I don't like what I see, I'm leaving. Is that clear?" 

"Perfectly. Thanks, Piccolo." Gohan's expression turned from amusement to delight. The way his face manifested the expression made him look a lot like his father.   
  


While Piccolo, Dende and Gohan tied up a few loose ends on the Lookout, Bulma was taking the newly-washed blanket, which turned out to be white, into the room where the Namek known as Setsuetsu was residing. She opened the door slowly, creating a sliver of light in the dimly-lit room, and looked at the empty bed. 

"Hm…where did he go? Aha." The sliver of light illuminated Setsu's huddled form. He was sitting in another puddle, which gave more than a hint that he knew nothing of using a bathroom. 

_Ugh, I'm glad I'm a mom and this doesn't gross me out as much as it should…_ Bulma thought with a sigh as she reached for a towel in the bathroom behind her. She crossed the room slowly, placed the towel on the floor and began using her foot to move it around until she had mostly cleaned up the puddle. Setsu pulled away from her when she started cleaning up his mess, and moved to settle in another corner. His intense black eyes watched her, like frightened prey watching a predator. 

"Hey…it's OK…" She left the towel in place for the moment and held out the blanket she'd just washed. "It's clean now…remember this? It's yours." Moving slowly closer, she held out the blanket so he could take it. 

Setsu wordlessly reached for the blanket, snatched it out of her hands and nuzzled his face into it like it was the most precious thing he owned. As far as Bulma knew, it probably was. She got another idea as she watched him, went into Trunks's room and grabbed a teddy-bear. Returning with it, she cuddled it, then left it on the floor where the Namek would find it and left the room. 

"Man…this is just too weird. He's like a little kid…" She sighed, leaning on the door. Turning around, she opened the door a crack to peek in and saw Setsu cuddling the teddy-bear. Smiling, the door was allowed to click shut again, and Bulma quietly headed down the hall to wait for Gohan and Piccolo.   
  


"…it sounds like he's never left that ship at all, the way you describe the crash and his behavior." Piccolo was saying as he and Gohan came in for a swift landing outside the Capsule Corporation. The tall Namek's white cape settled behind him, rustling every now and then as he moved. 

"In other words…he's never _seen_ another living person, he's never _heard_ language before…how he knows how to walk is beyond me…" Gohan's thick eyebrows drew together as he frowned. 

Piccolo crossed his arms and pressed his lips together. "Well, let's get this over with. If he freaks, I don't plan on staying." 

Nodding, Gohan led the way and headed into the huge yellow dome. Piccolo followed close behind, having to turn sideways in order for his weighted shoulderpads to fit through the doorway. A few people walking by stopped in their tracks to stare, a few women blushed and a few others looked a bit frightened. 

When he reached the door to where Setsu was, Gohan paused and looked over at Piccolo, "Should I come in with you?" 

"Nah, I'll be alright." 

"OK, but one suggestion: Take off your cape and turban. You know…so he'll see your antennae. You'll also be a little less imposing." He sweatdropped a little, hoping his mentor wasn't planning to slug him for that. 

Fortunately, Piccolo only sighed, removed his turban and slipped off his magnificent weighted cape. Both made a loud plunk when they hit the floor, and the tiles would have a few cracks from that moment on. He cast one final glance Gohan's way before turning the knob and slowly entering the room. Shutting the door quietly behind him, he allowed his eyes to traverse the entire room until they came to rest on the huddled form in the corner. 

Piccolo crossed his arms and watched as Setsu turned his head to gaze at him with those intense onyx eyes of his. A gaze not unlike his own, yet filled with a naïve innocence. 

Setsuetsu stared at the other Namek like he was the most interesting thing in the world. It was the first time in his life he'd ever seen another living Namek…yet something about the way he was staring at Piccolo seemed a bit un-nerving. Before Piccolo could think, Setsu had risen to his feet and taken a careful step forward. Staying silent, Piccolo allowed the other Namek to explore him, even tolerating it when a curious hand rose to tap one of his antennae. Comically, Setsu tapped one of his own antennae, seeming to realize they both had that same appendage. 

Piccolo, after watching for a few seconds, finally spoke, "Setsuetsu…" 

Setsuetsu immediately stopped playing with his own antennae and met Piccolo's gaze. Good, that meant he at least understood his name, which probably meant his father had been able to at least tell him that much before he was born. 

"Setsuetsu, can you understand me?" 

No response, save for the intense stare. Piccolo sighed, his eyes wandering to the blanket and teddy bear in the corner, and he sweatdropped when he became aware of Setsu's nakedness. He rumbled wordlessly, walked to the blanket and picked it up, running his hand over it before returning to Setsu and placing it around his shoulders. 

Setsu murmured softly in delight as the memory of hands wrapping him in that very same blanket surfaced. Because he had no language skills, all of his thoughts were images, sounds and sensations, and the only way he could express himself was with his eyes or body. 

Piccolo watched Setsu's delighted reaction and blinked a little; just what was going through this guy's head? There was no way to know, and he sighed as he assumed the lotus position on the floor next to the bed. _Great…I have to start from scratch if I'm going to teach him anything…feh…who would have thought I'd end up being a surrogate father?_

His thoughts were interrupted when he lifted his gaze to find Setsu trying to assume the same position on the floor. Piccolo quickly realized the other Namek knew they were the same, in a way, just by comparing color and shape. _That proves he's not retarded or anything…which is good…maybe…maybe someday he will be able to fight._

Outside the room, Bulma was passing through the hall when she noticed Gohan standing out there next to Piccolo's cape and turban. 

"Hey, Gohan! Is Piccolo in there with the Namek?" 

"Yeah. Oh! By the way, the Namek's name is Setsuetsu. The bracelet was engraved with his name." Gohan replied, nudging Piccolo's heavy shoulderpads with his toe. Bulma reached down and bunched up a corner of the cape in her hand. 

"Funny…something about this is familiar," She commented while letting the white material roll out of her hand like water. Her blue hair bounced against her neck as she lifted her eyebrows and looked up at Gohan, wondering if he got what she was getting at. 

The bridge of Gohan's nose crinkled momentarily and he frowned, "Why don't we see how they're doing in there?" 

"You can, I'd rather not mess with Piccolo." Bulma commented, growing a little blue in the face for a second. Then she giggled and pointed behind herself with her thumb, "I-I'll just go see if my dad needs my help." 

Gohan just shrugged, waited for Bulma to walk by, then placed his hand on the cool metal doorknob and twisted it gently. The door slid open slowly, and he only opened it enough to slip in before easing it shut once again. His dark eyes immediately spotted Piccolo and Setsuetsu next to the bed. 

Upon seeing someone entering, Setsu shifted uneasily and fixed his hawk-like gaze on the person who came in. A low whine came from his throat, and his heart started beating wildly within the confines of his chest. 

"It's OK, Setsuetsu. Gohan is a friend." Piccolo stated calmly, though his words had no meaning to the frightened Namek. His dark eyes lifted to meet Gohan's gaze, "From what I can see, his mind is pretty normal, just…empty." 

Gohan nodded and turned his attention to the frightened Setsu, who was watching him like a hawk. "Hey, Setsuetsu…remember me?" He reached towards the table by the bed and picked up the half-full bottled water. The Namek's antennae seemed to rise and fall in a comical shrug, and his bony green hand slowly reached towards the bottle in Gohan's hand. Gohan smiled and allowed him to take it, then looked over at Piccolo. "So, what do you think of him?" 

Silently, Piccolo shrugged his broad muscular shoulders and looked over at Setsu, who was trying to figure out how to drink from the bottle. Gohan found it strange that Setsu looked almost exactly like Piccolo, the kind of resemblance one could only have if they're related. But then again, Nail had been identical to Piccolo too, and they'd never met. Still, he didn't think it hurt to ask. 

"Hey, Piccolo? Don't you think it's weird that he looks like you?" 

"Nah. Nail looked like me, and we aren't related." Piccolo faced forward again to look up at his young friend, "For right now, he needs water and rest. He's malnourished and weak…I'm surprised he put up as much of a fight as he did when you got him into that flying machine…but he wouldn't have been held down so easily if he had more meat on his bones." He smirked a little, reached over and gently took the bottled water from Setsu. Then he opened the lid, moved the bottle to Setsu's lips and showed him where the water came out so he could drink. To Gohan, it almost looked like Piccolo was bottle-feeding the other Namek like a father feeding a baby; rather comical, in his opinion. 

"Do you think he'll ever learn to speak?" 

"Yeah. Eventually." Piccolo rumbled softly. "But for now, I think he should stay here. I don't want to risk taking him to the Lookout because he could wander away and fall off. And I have no clue how he'll tolerate flying. Knowing him, he'll freak, and we don't need that." 

"True, but you do realize he needs to be checked out to make sure nothing else is wrong with him?" 

"I'm a little concerned about that myself…" Wrinkles creased his brow and the shadows around his dark eyes deepened a little, "I'll keep him under control while he's being examined, but I don't guarantee I'll be able to stop any property damage." He smirked a little. "And speaking of weird things…I think Setsu needs some clothes." 

"I'll get some." 

"No need." Piccolo pointed towards Setsuetsu, grasped his wrist and concentrated. Goldish-white light washed over Setsu's thin frame, leaving behind a dark purple gi, navy blue belt and brown shoes just like Piccolo's. "There." 

Blinking, Setsu looked down and started picking at his new clothing, seeming completely unaccustomed to wearing anything other than his blanket. His antennae swayed when he turned his gaze to Piccolo, who was nodding his approval with a slight smirk. 

Gohan crossed his arms and leaned on the wall by the bed, still watching the two Nameks together. "I hope you know he's probably going to make a mess of those leggings. I don't think he's ever seen a bathroom." 

Piccolo promptly sweatdropped and cleared his throat. "Well…he'll learn." He dismissed the subject immediately and stood up. "When does Bulma plan on 'examining' him?" 

"Tomorrow, I think. She didn't say much about it." Answered Gohan honestly as Setsu curled up next to the bed, "What I want to know is…where did he come from and why?" 

"Me too, kid." Piccolo half-turned to regard Setsu with his dark eyes before starting to walk away. Setsuetsu emitted a panicked grunt and grasped Piccolo's wrist. He didn't want the only person who looked like him to leave him in this strange place, especially one as scary as this! 

"Mmm!" 

"Setsu, I have to go now." He grasped Setsu's shoulders and gently pushed him down until he was sitting on the side of the bed. Setsu whined softly and tried to hang onto Piccolo's gi, but Piccolo pried his hands off and wrapped the odd white blanket around his shoulders for him. Setsu immediately giggled, giving that delighted, almost orgasmic response to having the blanket wrapped around him, and Piccolo used that moment's distraction to silently slip out. 

Outside the door, Piccolo could hear Gohan trying to calm Setsu, who sounded like he was crying. He sighed noisily, picked up his cape and turban and promptly donned them both. Frowning, he looked at the white folds of his cape for a moment before turning and heading out.   
  


Gohan was awakened very early the next morning by the phone ringing. He dragged himself out of bed, thick-headed and sticky-eyed, and staggered to the phone, "What?" He moaned, using the wall to keep his head from flopping down because he was so drowsy. 

"Gohan! Bulma here…I'm at the crash site where that ship came down, and I've found something you really should take a look at." 

"Aw, Bulma…it's too early!" he moaned, rubbing his eyes once again and yawning. 

"It concerns your new Namek friend in a big way…" She added, hoping that would get him going. 

"Fine, fine." Gohan hung up, trudged back into his room and climbed into his clothes. He yawned again as he climbed out the window in his room, took off and started flying towards the desert. The morning air was chilly and foggy, so he almost missed the landing place entirely. That is, until he spotted Bulma's strange flying contraption. 

Bulma was standing next to the crash site, using a remote control to maneuver a crane extending from the side of the flying vehicle. Debris from the crash was slowly being shifted or lifted away to reveal more and more intact ship parts. She waved Gohan over the moment she spotted him in the fog. "OK, I thought I'd piece through this crash to determine what kind of ship it was when I found something you should see. Come on." 

Gohan followed his blue-haired friend towards the heaps of metal and glass lying in the crater. Bulma pointed to a small piece of something yellowish, like a piece of bone, but it crumbled in Gohan's hand when he touched it. He blinked, "Eggshell?" 

Bulma nodded slowly, then backed up a few steps while Gohan shifted the piece of metal where the eggshell had been. What was revealed made Bulma cover her mouth and turn away, but the young half-Saiyajin just stared in shock. 

Curled up on the floor was a naturally-mummified body that seemed dried beyond recognition, but Gohan could tell it had once been a Namek. The withered skin was tainted black with dirt and shrunk up against the bones. Its head was twisted at an odd angle, the gaping hole in the throat speaking louder than words could, yet the strange calm on the unrecognizable face didn't seem to fit until Gohan's eyes examined the throat closer. A huge pile of broken eggshells filled the hole, and the mummified body's arms were clutching open air, as if the person had been holding an infant when he died. Gohan gulped slowly as he continued to examine the mummified Namekian. 

"Golly…" He whispered to himself in shock. It wasn't the presence of the body that bothered him, really, but the clothing it was wearing did. 

The withered body was wearing a dark purple gi with a navy-blue belt, brown shoes, a turban and metal shoulderpads adorned with shreds of what was once a white cape. 


	2. Secrets Unlocked

_The Mysterious Namek_   
_Episode Two: "Secrets Unlocked"_

_Have you seen my Childhood?_   
_I'm searching for the world that I come from_   
_'Cause I've been looking around_   
_In the lost and found of my heart..._

_No one understands me_   
_They view it as such strange eccentricities..._   
_'Cause I keep kidding around_   
_Like a child, but pardon me..._

_People say I'm not okay_   
_'Cause I love such elementary things..._   
_It's been my fate to compensate,_   
_for the Childhood_   
_I've never known..._

_Have you seen my Childhood?_   
_I'm searching for that wonder in my youth_   
_Like pirates and adventurous dreams,_   
_Of conquest and kings on the throne..._

_Before you judge me,_   
_try hard to love me,_   
_Look within your heart then ask,_   
_Have you seen my Childhood?_

_People say I'm strange that way_   
_'Cause I love such elementary things,_   
_It's been my fate to compensate,_   
_for the Childhood I've never known..._

_Have you seen my Childhood?_   
_I'm searching for that wonder in my youth_   
_Like fantastical stories to share_   
_The dreams I would dare, watch me fly..._

_Before you judge me, try hard to love me._   
_The painful youth I've had_   
_Have you seen my Childhood?_   
-- Michael Jackson, "Childhood"   
  


"Aiiieeeeee! Aaaaaah! AAAAHHH!" Setsuetsu's frightened cries rang out shrilly, nearly destroying Piccolo's eardrums in the process. Piccolo was holding the frightened Namek down with a simple wrestling hold, enduring the squirming with ease while a blood sample was taken. He didn't even flinch when something warm and wet started to trickle, then pour copiously over his left leg. 

As far as Setsuetsu was concerned, these people were trying to kill him! Pain was an unknown sensation to him, so the simple poke of the needle was excruciating, and his distressed cries spoke much of how he felt. 

"There…" Bulma pulled the needle out and placed a piece of cotton over the droplet of blood welling up. "All done, big guy." She smiled, placed the blood sample into a container and quietly left. As soon as Bulma was gone, Piccolo released Setsu and watched him huddle up in a corner, shaking in fright. 

Gohan had been right about the messy bit; Setsu was struggling so hard that he ended up wetting himself, Piccolo and the bed all at once. Piccolo curled his lip slightly upon realizing this and executed a simple ki technique to dry himself, the bed and Setsu off. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about that again for a few hours," He commented, then looked at the tiny mark on his arm where some of his own blood had been drawn, apparently for comparison or something. 

Setsu turned his eyes to the floor, clutching his blanket tightly in his arms with a small whine. Piccolo sighed, got up and walked over to where the other Namek was. Taking the blanket from Setsu's hands, he spread it out and wrapped it around his narrow shoulders to at least try and comfort him. Setsu responded by rising to his knees and curling his arms around Piccolo's waist. He wanted to be held, protected and warm, his mind too blank to realize he was too big for that sort of thing. 

The gesture took Piccolo by surprise too, and he stared wide-eyed at Setsu for a moment before slowly placing a hand on his back, his fingernails slightly denting the material of his gi top. He sighed and lowered himself to sit in front of the other Namek, whose head was now in his lap, "I know this place is pretty crazy to you…it was to me the first time I saw the light of day. You'll get used to it, Setsu…" 

Setsuetsu's intense eyes focused on Piccolo's face as his words passed through his ears without being understood. A small sigh escaped his lips and his hand rose to touch Piccolo's throat as if he was looking for something. 

"Now what are you doing?" Piccolo asked, growing a tad annoyed by so much physical contact. No reply came from the innocent-minded Namek as he traced a pattern over Piccolo's throat, moving so lightly that his touch was starting to tickle a little. Piccolo finally grasped Setsu's pale hand, moved it away and growled slightly, "No." 

Blinking, Setsu stared at Piccolo's dark green hand holding onto his slightly paler one as the memory of a large blood-stained green hand holding a tiny one floated up to the surface in his mind. He closed his fingers around the hand holding onto his, buried his face in Piccolo's chest and quietly started to sob. 

Piccolo frowned at Setsu's odd action, not at all understanding what could be going through the other Namek's mind. He curled his lip to show a hint of a gleaming fang. _I get angry and he starts to cry…hmph… Why is this happening?_   
  


Down in the lab, the mummified body found at the crash site was being X-rayed and tested for various different things. Dr. Briefs was pretty fascinated by it, especially since it didn't come apart when he laid it flat to run the scans. That meant the skin was probably still slightly elastic, or there was still some muscles still attached to the bones. There was no way to tell yet. 

"Hey, dad. How's it going in here?" Bulma asked as she popped in with the blood tests in hand. She stopped by the mirror to check her make-up, then turned to face her father. 

"So far, so good. This should be interesting…the last time I used this old thing, it was to check Vegeta out after he hurt himself in training." He chuckled from behind his frosty mustache and pushed his glasses up on his nose, "I hope it works." 

She winked and flipped a strand of her shiny light blue hair over her shoulder, "I'm sure you'd be able to fix it if it broke." 

"Reeeeeoooooow!" The small black cat on Dr. Briefs's shoulder added in. 

"Well, time to get to work…"   
  


Piccolo eased his legs out from under Setsuetsu's head when he was sure he was asleep. He was pretty tired himself and settled against the wall with his eyes shut to rest for awhile. His intentions were only to meditate, but sleep crept up anyway and snatched his consciousness into its clutches. 

In his dreams, Piccolo could see a city going up in flames with the sky painted red for miles around from the light of a fire. Buildings were crumbling and falling around him. Cracks lined the streets and people were running around in a blind panic. It was strange, the way the dream had no sound, and the Namek watched the chaos around him without knowing how to make sense of it all. 

A cry sounded and he turned to see Setsu's naked body surrounded by flames. He moved to pull him out, but a wall of flames rose and stopped him in his tracks by buffeting him with its blistering heat. 

Somewhere amid the wall of fire, there was a shape, an outline of a person. Strangely, all Piccolo could see was a hint of the figure's ebony lips. It pointed a delicate finger at his face, and a red light ignited at the tip of the well-manicured black nail. 

"Gah!" Piccolo snapped his head up to find himself in the bedroom again. Setsuetsu was curled up against the wall with his eyes wide-open and a strange expression on his thin face. His hands were folded and pressed to his chest, gripping the blanket around his shoulders. 

Somehow, he had managed to get out of his new clothes, and they were lying in a pile in the middle of the room. 

"Setsuetsu?" Piccolo eased himself to his feet, walked over to the other Namek and stood over him with his arms crossed. His shadow fell over Setsu's form. "Hey." 

Setsu didn't respond, not even a twitch of an eyelid. Piccolo passed his hand close to his face, but not even that got a response. Shaking him didn't work either; it was almost as if the poor green Namek had gone into a catatonic state brought on by fear. His senses were shut down so far that he wasn't even thinking, his body just passively feeling, hearing, smelling, tasting and seeing without comprehending. 

All Setsu could see was the fire, the frighteningly awful fire, and there was nobody there to protect him from it. He was cut off, alone and trapped. 

Piccolo watched him for almost a full minute, searching for a response of any kind. He suddenly noticed how skinny the other Namekian really was, the way his face was drawn and the way his ribs were standing out on his sides. Put together, those were strong signs of malnutrition. 

The door opened, and Piccolo quickly straightened to face whoever was entering. He found himself face to face with Bulma, who was holding a printout in her hand and wearing a tired expression on her young face. "Hey, Piccolo? I think you should come outside the door so we can talk." 

"Does it really matter? Setsu doesn't understand language." The Namek muttered as he crossed his large arms over his broad chest and regarded Bulma with his intense gaze, "So, is there something wrong with him, or what?" 

Bulma tiredly brushed a hand through her blue hair and yawned, tucking a pencil behind her ear in the meantime. "Nobody will know anything until the physical is done, but my dad and I found something interesting about the mummy's DNA." She eyed the Namek curiously to make sure he was willing to listen. When she got a nod, she continued, "Well…that mummy's DNA is identical to yours…" 

Piccolo's shock did not show, save for a quick blink of his eyes. "And…?" 

"There were pieces of eggshell in its throat with tiny bits of body fluids attached to them. They contained Setsu's DNA, and his DNA is almost identical to yours." 

"What?! What does this mean?" He asked impatiently. 

"The way this DNA is matching up…it can only mean that Setsuetsu is your son." She lifted her gaze to meet his with a seriousness that proved she wasn't trying to make a sick joke of some kind. "It's…pretty amazing…" 

_My…son? He's my SON!?_ The Namek thought in silent surprise, having to use every ounce of his self-control to keep it from showing on his face. Still, he couldn't avoid the slight widening of his eyes. 

"I think the ship he came in was the same Time Machine that Trunks used when he came back from the future. I found a piece of metal with the word 'Hope!!!' written on it. Trouble is…why did it take twenty years for it to get here? That's how long it was active." Her eyes lowered to the chart again, slowly, and changed the subject. "Now, he still needs a physical to make sure he's not hurt or anything. It can also determine if he's sick or not too." 

Piccolo's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he looked over his shoulder at Setsu, who hadn't moved in the slightest bit while he was being talked about. "I don't think he'll be a problem for awhile. He's shut down, and won't respond to anything." He kept speaking when Bulma turned to leave, "And I want to see this…'mummy'." 

The blue-haired woman gulped to herself, not so sure if that was a good idea. I'm not sure about Piccolo…but I'd be scared to death to see myself dead! "Um…this way then." She swallowed again. The tall Namek always made her nervous. 

Piccolo simply nodded, dropped his arms to his sides and followed Bulma out of the room. She headed down the hall to an elevator that led down another floor, then opened up into the well-lit lab. Right in front of where they came out was the scanner, where something was covered with a white sheet. 

Walking over without asking, the tall Namek grasped a corner of the sheet yanked it off, exposing the mummified body. A bead of sweat dripped off the side of his face when he saw the mummified body lying there, and his eyes wandered to the gaping hole in the throat area. Then they moved to the serene facial expression and one hairless green brow quirked upwards a fraction of a degree. 

_This is me after being dead for twenty years?_ He thought as his eyes searched for anything else that could have caused his 'future self' to die, and his eyes fell upon a small entry wound on the mummy's side. It was so small that the human eye could easily miss it, but the MRI scan showed that internal organs had been liquefied or disintegrated. That meant his future self was already nearly dead, and probably too weak to regurgitate the egg. So he hadn't lived long enough to transfer any knowledge to the child other than his name. _Could have been worse, I guess…_ His green hand lowered to touch one of the withered bony ones, which looked like it did when Cell had nearly absorbed him, and the leathery skin crackled like paper when pressure was applied. _I must have been really desperate to have Setsuetsu…I would never give birth unless it was to preserve my race, and myself_… He sighed, _That also means he's imprinted himself to me, and he knows who I am no matter what age or state I'm in…but I'm not bonded to him…not now anyway. I don't think I can bond…or want to_… 

Piccolo closed his eyes to brush aside his thoughts. He was able to picture himself in those painful last moments, screaming in agony as his throat exploded with eggshell and living Namekian flesh. He could see himself sink to the floor, cradling that helpless child in his arms as they bonded, wrapping his cape around him to keep him warm and holding his tiny hand to say a last goodbye before closing his eyes for the last time. He could hear the child screaming as his father's blood soaked the cape wrapped around his tiny body. 

Just the idea of such a thing happening caused his eyes to mist over, but he swallowed the tears, bit his lip to keep it from trembling and turned away, controlling his voice so it wouldn't crack, "I've seen enough. Let's get Setsuetsu's physical over with so he can rest." 

"OK, go ahead and bring him here. I'll get everything set up. When he comes out of whatever trance he's in, I think it's a good idea to test how smart he is. I think it's best we find out if his mind is normal or not." 

Piccolo heaved a sigh and left the room without a word. Outside the room where Setsu was, he replaced his cape and turban, then headed in. Setsu hadn't moved from where he was; his chest was wet from salivating, but at least there wasn't a puddle under him. His eyes still held that eerie, distant and frightened look. 

Watching him sit there like that, Piccolo felt his previous emotions surfacing again. This person was his own child, born just like he was; alone, afraid and without a childhood. 

He never wished that loneliness on anyone, not even his worst enemies. 

Heaving a last sigh, Piccolo crossed the room and bent over the other Namekian's thin frame. His cape swished gently as he placed his hands on Setsu's shoulders and gently stood him up, "C'mon, let's get you checked out." He moved to walk him out, but poor Setsu's legs just caved in, so Piccolo lifted him into this arms and carried him out of the room. 

Bulma was pacing around in the lab when the door opened and Piccolo walked in with Setsu in his arms. She eyed the tall Namekian nervously before asking, "He's still out of it?" 

"Yeah," Piccolo stated tersely, "Where should I put him down?" 

"On the table over there." She pointed a manicured finger with a soft pink nail at an examining table by the wall. Piccolo nodded, carried Setsuetsu over and placed him on the table. Setsu obediently lied down when he was placed on the table, that is, if one could call allowing someone to manipulate their body into a certain position 'obedience'. 

Before moving away, Piccolo reached down and gently brushed a hand over Setsuetsu's eyes to close them so they wouldn't dry out. Then he nodded to Bulma and stepped back so she could work.   
  


"That's that." Bulma breathed as she put down the device in her hand and turned off a machine next to the table. "Now the computer will look everything over and tell us if anything's wrong with this big guy." She looked down at Setsu, who hadn't moved at all during his examination, and chewed her lower lip in thought, "I think he should wear a diaper until he learns how to use the bathroom properly. Much less mess." 

Piccolo snapped his head up at that idea and sneered, "Diapers for a full-grown person?! Are you nuts?!" He bore his teeth and growled. No child of his deserved such a thing…even if he didn't know how to control himself. 

"I think it would be a lot easier than cleaning up puddles and changing his pants. Really, Piccolo, I know you probably hate the idea…" She gulped and brushed a strand of blue hair from her eyes, "But it'll make it easier to take care of him." There was a pause as she fanned the air in front of her. "However, before we do anything, he needs a bath. Phew." 

For once, Piccolo agreed with the spunky blue-haired woman. "I'll take him to wherever you want to bathe him, but you can do the washing." He sneered, "I need to train for awhile and loosen up." As he spoke, he reached down and picked Setsu up as easily as if he were a baby. For the second time that day he followed Bulma down the corridor and into the bathroom. 

"Just put him in the tub and let me handle the rest. This is probably going to be like bathing an oversized Trunks." She grinned at the notion and turned on the warm water. "Who knows? Maybe it'll wake him up from whatever place in his mind he's in." Said Bulma as she dug out some soap, a towel and some wash-cloths. 

Piccolo frowned and growled as he placed Setsuetsu into the slowly-filling bathtub. He hated to leave him, but he didn't want to watch him being treated like a child either. On top of that, he just wasn't sure of how to take care of him. His own father had filled his mind with so much hatred before he died that there was no room for the lessons of life and parenting. And…it wasn't easy for Piccolo to express his moods very well. At least not anything other than anger. 

Without giving a goodbye or anything, the tall Namek swept out of the room with his grand cape flowing behind him like a banner. His mind was a jumbled swirl of confusion and emotions as he wondered what could have happened to Setsu to put him into a catatonic state that deep. 

"Well, that was rude!" Bulma muttered as Piccolo's shadow disappeared from view. Her attention turned to Setsu in the tub, "Anyway, I guess it's just you and me, Setsu." She said as wispy bubbles swirled around the green figure. His eyes were open again, but they didn't track any movement as the soft cloth was rubbed over his skin to clean him off. Bulma didn't seem to mind, and chattered away while she worked, "So, are you gonna start moving again pretty soon? I mean…it's pretty inconvenient when we have to lug you around. I could break a nail!" 

Setsuetsu just stared down at the water, which created moving patterns on his green and pink skin. The water became cloudy when the soap was rinsed off and mixed with the dirt and skin oil coming off as he soaked. Bulma put a hand under his chin and lifted his head so she could wash his face, and his eyes squinted when a little soap got into them, but the rest of his face didn't hint at pain or discomfort. It was there, the pain, yet it didn't seem to register. 

"Woops, sorry about that. Lemme fix it." She rinsed the rag off and brushed it over his eyes to clean them out. When she finished, she pulled the plug to drain the bath and grabbed a towel, which she draped over Setsu's head to dry his face off. It was almost funny, the way his antennae stayed brushed back when the towel moved away to dry the rest of his naked green form off. "OK…now let's see if I can stand you up." The woman slung the towel over her shoulder, wrapped an arm around Setsu's waist and pulled him up while keeping a hand on his chest to steady him. Seeing that it worked, she tried inching back to make him step out of the tub, but his legs wouldn't budge. That forced her to reach down and lift his legs one at a time, then she had to drag him over to the toilet and sit him down on it while she got his necessary clothing. Needless to say, it was very hard work, and she almost dropped the poor alien several times along the way. 

"Whew, this is hard work," Bulma muttered to herself as she grabbed the gi she'd seen Setsu wearing earlier. She carried the clothes back into the bathroom where the thin Namekian was still sitting and staring blankly. 

"Now…" Picking up the shirt, she thrust his arms through the armholes and tugged it down over his head. A small pang of guilt washed over her as she put the diaper on him, but it was the only way to keep him clean and his clothes dry. It was easy to get his leggings back on, but she left the shirt un-tucked for the time being. _Too bad if Piccolo doesn't like it. He can fix it himself!_

Just as the thought left Bulma's mind, Piccolo arrived with a shiny layer of sweat on his face and arms. _Still not with it, I see. Well…I guess I'll take over for awhile then_. He thought while watching the other Namek with his dark eyes. "I'll handle him from here." 

"Please do." Bulma remarked tiredly as she shoved Setsu's shoes onto his feet, "It was a struggle to get him out of the darn tub! He may be skinny, but he's heavy!" 

Piccolo suppressed a chuckle of amusement at the weak human, walked over to Setsu and easily picked him up. "Go see if there's any…results…yet." He added as he carried Setsu out. When the Namek in his arms didn't give any response to being moved, Piccolo breathed an agitated sigh and rumbled, "C'mon, Setsuetsu. You're stronger than this!" 

The door creaked as Piccolo kicked it open, heaved the other Namek through and put him carefully down on the bed. He had to pull Setsu's legs straight and push his upper body gently down to make him lie down properly; that's just how far out of it the poor Namek was. 

"Setsuetsu…" Piccolo spoke again, "No son of mine would behave like this…so come on. Don't be weak." He assumed the lotus position next to the bed and crossed his arms. "I'm not leaving until you wake up, so you had better make it fast." 

No response. Setsu's eyes just stared with the blankness of a corpse, his lips parted a little in a frozen moan of fear. His antennae drooped to his face and cast shadows over his thin cheeks, and his hands were folded on his thin chest. 

Piccolo sighed to himself and reached for the bottled water on the table beside the bed. He unscrewed the lid, placed one hand under Setsuetsu's head to lift it a little and tipped the bottle to his lips. The water poured gently against the back of his throat, causing him to swallow, and a few drops dribbled from the corner of his mouth. When Piccolo was sure Setsu had drank enough for awhile, he moved the bottle away and placed it back onto the table, keeping his hand on the back of his head as he stared down at his face in thought. 

_He is just a child in his mind…he knows nothing of the world or how it works, and he can't understand language. How can I teach someone who doesn't understand?_ Piccolo was asking himself as he stood over the bed and stared down at the other Namek lying there. He felt like fate was forcing him to take care of this other person, even though he hated dealing with the weak. _But what if my behavior is what frightened him? Have I caused this? No…no child should have to fear his own father_… 

He realized his mind was trying to make up excuses for every thought he was thinking and began to wonder if he was actually starting to bond with the Namek who was supposedly his son. It was getting more and more difficult to be away from him, that was for sure. 

"Hey, Piccolo! How's he doing?" Gohan seemed to materialize out of thin air, interrupting Piccolo's train of thought. 

Piccolo glanced over at his student, who had something shiny in his hand, and replied gruffly, "He's still catatonic." 

"Oh." 

He lowered the other Namek's head back onto the pillow and crossed his arms, "Did Bulma send you down here?" 

Gohan shook his head and sighed, tugging uncomfortably at the collar of the new shirt his mother had given him that morning, "Nah, I was curious to see how he's doing. I talked to Bulma, yes, but she didn't tell me to come in here. So, he's really your son?" 

"According to what the DNA scans say…" Piccolo answered and settled into the lotus position. "What's that thing in your hand?" He nodded towards the shiny object in Gohan's hand, then raised his eyes to regard the boy with his typical stern seriousness. 

"Oh." The young half-Saiyajin looked down at the plastic object. It was red on the bottom with a transparent plastic dome on top. Inside, it contained a small depiction of a humanoid black and white cat walking up a silver staircase. "It's a musical snow dome. If I shake it like so…" He shook it up and caused silver glitter to swirl around inside the dome, "Well, you get the idea. But if I wind it up, it plays the chorus notes to the song Memory. I thought Setsu might like it." 

"As if he can hear anything right now," Piccolo muttered. 

Gohan shrugged and put the snow dome on the table by the water bottle. "Anyway, I have to get back home to study. My mom let me take a break and my time's up." 

Piccolo snorted in indignation, wondering if Gohan's mother ever let up on that stupid studying, "Hmph. See ya around, I guess." 

"Before I go, I have one question." 

"Shoot." 

"How did Setsuetsu get that way? He was fine last night…" Gohan drew his hand through the thick unruly locks of his bangs to get them out of his eyes. They were in need of a trim, and soon. 

Piccolo's eyes moved from Gohan's face to Setsuetsu's unmoving frame on the bed. He sighed, "I really don't know…I fell asleep, had a nightmare and woke up to find Setsuetsu like this. He was in the corner all curled up like he was trying to hide from something." 

Gohan blinked a few times and thought to himself about this for a moment before a light bulb went off in the back of his head, "What if he shared the same dream with you? I mean…if you're related, could you be mentally linked somehow? Like you and Kami were?" 

A frown creased Piccolo's brow as he thought about this new information, "My father was Kami's evil half, and I took his place when he was killed. I couldn't have split myself while my other half gave birth, because Setsuetsu would have died with me. But that is a good thought, Gohan. I'll have to explore it a little." 

"Cool." He looked at his watch and sweat-dropped, "I better get going. Good luck, Piccolo!" With that, he raced out the door and disappeared down the hall. 

Piccolo heaved a sigh and let the idea of the mental link roll around in his head while he absently picked the snow dome up. He turned it over, found the little key and turned it until it wouldn't turn anymore. The music started to play softly, the tinkling little melody drifting around the room until it finally wound down. 

_Could Setsuetsu and I be linked mentally? Is my nightmare the reason he's like this?_ The Namek asked himself as he turned the little key to make the music play again without really thinking about it. _What if that dream somehow came from him? What if he was trying to tell me something? Could I have given birth to him in the future with just this knowledge, along with his name, to warn myself in the past of something or someone? Or was it just desperation to save him? So many questions!_

Piccolo became aware that he was winding the little snow dome up for the third time, and heaved a sigh as the music started to play again. He lowered his head, closed his eyes and tuned out the music so he could continue searching for answers. 

As the music wound down, his mind finally came to a conclusion, _Well, I guess if his mind is that of a child, then I'll just have to treat him as one until he learns to behave properly…there is no other choice. Perhaps, someday, he'll be able to tell me what happened_… Another thought struck, this one seeming almost painful, _What if he's dying?_ He lifted his eyes to look over at the other Namek lying in the bed, so still and lifeless. 

"Just…why did you show up here in the first place? Why here?" Piccolo asked as if he'd get a response. "How can I bring you back from wherever you are?" 

_You could wrap him in that blanket and hold him_, A voice spoke from the back of his mind. 

_Yeah, sure, Nail. What good would that do?_

_Comfort, Piccolo. If he's suffering, it will comfort him._

_He's right_. Kami added tersely. _He may not be aware, but he is still your son, and he still needs you_. 

Sighing, Piccolo lowered his eyes to Setsu, who still hadn't moved. This idea felt utterly ridiculous and pointless, but it was also worth a try since nothing else had worked. 

Reaching over, he grabbed the white blanket, wrapped it around Setsu's upper body the way he had the day before and waited for a response. When there was none, he sighed mentally, lowered his arms and awkwardly took Setsu into them, cradling him. Showing this affection felt very strange to Piccolo, especially since he'd never held a child, let alone a grown adult. At least not like this. But, as awkward as it felt, it also brought a strangely peaceful sensation to his mind and body, one he would never be able to explain. Nothing really mattered but that moment. 

Setsuetsu saw the two hands reach towards him through the flames, followed by a shape. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it, just as much as he felt two arms wrapping around his thin frame to keep him safe. When he knew he was safe at last, Setsu slowly allowed himself to relax in the safety of the protective embrace. 

Piccolo just watched in silence as Setsu's agonized expression changed to one of peace. 

_Yes, I've gotten through to you now, Setsuetsu_… He thought as he watched the other green man close his eyes and felt his thin body relax in his arms. _There is hope for you now_. A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he used one hand to cup the top of Setsu's smooth green head as he slept. _Maybe this isn't so bad after all_… 

And Setsu slept on while Piccolo continued to hold and watch over him.   
  


Morning came, the rising sun shining through the window and onto the bed where Setsu was lying. Piccolo was in the lotus position at his side, and lifted his head when the light struck his apathetic face. He half-turned to check on the other Namek and found his dark eyes were open, but he hadn't moved in any other way. 

_Still not with it. I guess this is going to take awhile then_. Piccolo thought as he tried to figure out what he could do for Setsu. He finally made up his mind and decided to try holding him again like he had the night before. It had gotten a response then, so why shouldn't it work for a second time? 

Reaching down, Piccolo tugged the corners of the blanket around Setsuetsu's shoulders. Then he slipped his arms around the thin figure and forced himself to pull him uncomfortably close. Pushing Setsu's head down onto one of his shoulder pads and cupped the back of his head while his other arm stayed around his shoulders. His nails dented the white blanket gently. 

"Hey…it's time to start waking up, Setsuetsu. I can't do this forever. It's embarrassing." Piccolo stated calmly with an edge of annoyance in his scratchy voice. He sat perfectly still with the other Namek in his arms, his cape falling in folds around them both and blending with the white blanket. Since the blanket and the cape were one in the same, it was impossible to tell where the cape ended and the blanket began. 

Just as he had the previous night, Setsu saw the figure reach through flames and take him into its arms. His head was gently pushed to rest on a white shoulder pad, and a deep voice spoke through the silence. Though he couldn't understand the words, he knew the voice was speaking directly into his ear. 

"Setsuetsu…you need to come back. I can't teach you anything if you can't react to me." Piccolo kept speaking calmly, but growing more uncomfortable as time passed. He didn't want to admit that he was bonding with the other Namek, and he knew this bond was happening because he could feel Setsu's presence whenever they were in the same room. It was like a whisper in the back of his mind, or the radiating warmth one feels when they're standing extremely close to another living person. Very different from the normal sensation of a high power nearby. 

Setsu's eyes closed and opened in slow motion, then laboriously shifted to fix onto Piccolo's face. He didn't smile, shed a tear or grimace in pain; there was no expression on his face at all. He just stared into the other Namek's eyes for what seemed to be an eternity, and while their eyes were locked, Piccolo saw flashes of the nightmare he'd had when Setsu had gone into this state. Only they were more detailed. 

Flash! 

Flames shooting up everywhere. 

Flash! 

People being sheared in half by beams of laser light. 

Flash! 

A petite figure emerging from the flames, extending a delicate arm and pointing a manicured finger at Piccolo's face. 

Flash! 

The figure's features, revealed fully when a red blast of light emanated from its fingertip. 

Flash! 

Shiny purple cabochons adorning a head and shoulders. 

Flash! 

Delicate moon-white skin. 

Flash! 

Scarlet-red eyes burning with blood-lust. 

Flash! 

Ebony-black lips wearing a cold smile of malice. 

Flash! 

Two vertical black lines accenting a pale face wearing a look of hatred. 

Flash! 

Feminine laughter shattering the silence. 

Flash! 

Setsuetsu's expressionless green visage. 

Flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash! 

The images kept repeating themselves in Piccolo's mind, over and over, faster and faster until they were all just a blur of blacks, whites and grays. Then all went black. 

Piccolo jerked his head back as if he'd been hit. He let his head slump forward as he started to pant hungrily, sweat pouring down his temples and soaking into his collar. Setsu's glittery eyes lost focus again and stayed that way, his expression not changing as he went back to wherever his mind went when he wasn't totally conscious. 

When he had recovered from the shock, Piccolo turned his attention to Setsuetsu, who was breathing softly through his mouth, and blinked a few times. Had he done that? 

_Is this the mental link Gohan mentioned? It's…so strong. But wait a minute here! Not even I can transmit telepathic signals that strongly. Setsu couldn't have possibly pulled it off_… Piccolo continued to watch Setsu, and slowly lowered him to lie down in the bed. He settled in the lotus position by the bed and crossed his arms, frowning deeply as a barely detectable rumble rose in his throat. His thoughts continued, _Unless_… 

Piccolo blinked again and looked at Setsu with wide eyes, speaking aloud as the realization came to him in the form of a small epiphany. "He's a Kami…" 

"Who's a Kami?" Asked Bulma as she closed the door behind her. She walked to the bed, pulled the covers away and proceeded to change Setsuetsu's diaper. He was piddling when she started to change him, so she held the diaper in the stream and waited for him to finish before lifting one of his legs out of the way to dry him off. Then she cleaned him up and replaced the wet diaper with a dry one and covered him back up. 

Piccolo turned his head and closed his eyes to avoid watching what Bulma was doing, "Setsuetsu. He just sent me a series of telepathic images…probably because he doesn't know how to speak, but that's not the point. The point is that only a Kami has a mind that powerful." 

"Oh, wow!" Bulma perked up, "He can make Dragon Balls?" 

He growled at her insolent behavior without answering the obvious. _Foolish human_. 

Bulma lowered her blue eyes to look once again at Setsu, who was staring blankly at the ceiling. She extended her hand gently and brushed it over his smooth green forehead, "Looks like you're just full of secrets, big guy." Her eyes fell upon the little snow dome next to the bed. Curious, she reached over, picked it up and started to wind the little key, then released it and let the tinkling music start to play. "There you go…" 

Piccolo wrinkled his nose, "Why are you babying him? It's not like it'll get a response." 

Bulma put her free hand on her hip and glared over at the grumpy Namek, then looked back down at Setsu. "Aww…he's smiling!" 

"What?" Piccolo craned his neck to look. Sure enough, there was a small smile pulling at Setsuetsu's lips. His eyes were still blank and distant, but he was showing signs of hearing the outside world. That in itself made Piccolo feel an odd relief, and he settled against the wall, feigning apathy so Bulma would leave. He didn't like to show gentleness to anyone but the one person it was intended towards. 

The blue-haired woman just rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Anyway, the computer should be done running his data through pretty soon. I'll be back when it's ready." 

"Fine, now leave us be." 

After receiving that cold shoulder, Bulma angrily put the little snow dome down on the table by the bed and walked out in a huff. 

Piccolo just shook his head, _Females…I'll never understand them_. Then he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, the mattress sagging a little in protest with his weight, and placed a slender hand on the top of Setsu's head. Setsu's skin was a paler than Piccolo's, but it would darken in time when exposed to the sun enough. It had probably been dark when he was born, then paled as he used the nutrients in his cells to stay alive all those years without water or anything of nutritious value. It was amazing that he had the strength to run and struggle so much when he was first found. 

The smile had faded from Setsu's face, returning it to the blank expression. Piccolo reached for the water bottle next to the bed, unscrewed the lid and held Setsu's head up while tipping the bottle to his lips. The Namek mechanically started to swallow the liquid when it hit the back of his throat. It was a Namekian reflex to keep water out of the lungs, the equivalent to a human coughing after swallowing wrong. 

Piccolo just watched Setsu as he fed him the last of the water in the bottle, which fogged up and grew warm to the touch when he let his breath out after holding it to drink. 

"Setsuetsu, when are you going to find your way back to me?" He asked softly, "You can't come all this way just to die here. You have to start moving around…helping us discover your secrets. I can teach you anything you need to learn about the world, but you have to respond to me before I can teach you anything." He sighed at his own sentimentality and hardened his expression, letting his hand move from Setsu's forehead to his cheek, then away. "I'll be waiting..." 

After speaking to Setsu, Piccolo realized his body was alerting him to a need he hadn't taken care of in almost two days. He sighed, moved away from the bed and left the room, leaving the door open while he went into the room across the hall and shut the door. Human toilets really irritated him, especially because of all the noise when someone peed in it. However, the need was so bad that he paid it no mind as he re-arranged his clothes. He started to empty himself and tilted his head back in relief while his mind toiled for the billionth time that day. 

_I don't know what to do for him anymore. His mind is strong, but his body is so weak_… 

Piccolo lowered his head to glare at his reflection in the mirror as he finished, tucked himself back in and re-arranged his clothing back into place. He left the bathroom without flushing or washing his hands, padded back into the room and stopped dead in the doorway with his eyes focused on the bed. 

It was empty. 

"Setsuetsu?!" 

The Namek stepped into the dimly-lit room and spotted Setsu sitting on the floor with the snow dome in his hands. His face still had a blank, dead look to it. But he had gotten out of bed and walked! There was no other way he could have gotten there by himself! 

Piccolo walked closer to Setsu and lowered to sit in front of him. He grasped the snow dome to wind it up again, but the other Namekian's hands remained tightly clasped around it. Piccolo tried to pull it free and ended up pulling Setsu's hands with it, so he finally just left it alone. He couldn't help but smile a little at the other green alien in front of him. 

"Setsu…" Piccolo whispered, using his nickname; it was rare for him to use anyone's nickname unless it was a subtle show of affection. He placed his hands on Setsu's shoulders and continued talking to him, "I'm right here in front of you. If you were looking for me, I'm right here." 

Setsu just continued to stare through the flames, which had receded several feet, and he could see those who were previously hidden behind the dancing walls of fire. At the moment, there was face floating there like a ghostly apparition, a face much like his own. He watched the lips move and listened to the voice speaking from between them. The words still sounded like gibberish to his under-developed mind, but at least he could hear it at all. His eyes slowly rose to meet the intense ones that bore into his soul with the intensity of a spear. 

Piccolo watched as Setsu's eyes moved to meet his. Though they remained unfocused, Piccolo knew he was being seen and heard. He felt himself smile without knowing why as he hung onto the pale Namek's shoulders and stood up with him. The other Namek was easily pulled to his feet, and stayed standing when Piccolo slowly moved his hands away. 

_Yes…good_… 

Reaching over again, Piccolo grasped the snow dome in Setsuetsu's thin hands and tried to take it away from him. Setsu's hands suddenly released the small object, and his eyes lowered to it without showing signs of focusing. That didn't matter: he was at least seeing it. 

"Come on." Piccolo stepped back to the bed and waited to see what the other Namekian would do. He felt pretty stupid in doing this, but it was the only way to get through. As far as he was concerned, it was worth acting on whatever got a response out of the pale green figure. 

Setsu stood frozen like a statue as Piccolo moved away, his eyes no longer tracking the little plastic snow dome. A little disappointed by this, Piccolo wound the tiny key to make it play the music and shook the little object to make the glitter swirl around. The sound of feet shuffling drew his attention back to Setsu, who was using small baby steps to shuffle towards him. 

Piccolo extended his hands, placed them on Setsu's narrow shoulders to halt his automaton-like walking and carefully closed his frail fingers around the snow dome as it wound down to silence. "Here…you earned it, I guess." He kept his hands on his shoulders and settled him on the bed. 

Setsuetsu obediently allowed himself to be manipulated into lying down, his mind thinking of nothing but the object in his bony hands as the blankets were pulled up to his waist. He could see Piccolo clearly above the flames, watching his hands pulling something up over his legs. 

Piccolo settled on the edge of the bed and watched Setsu stare blankly upwards. He was trying to make sense of what he was feeling, and hoping none of those foolish humans were planning to come in and disrupt the calmness. 

Was he really starting to care for Setsu? Could bond destroyed by time and death be regained? 

A sliver of light stabbed into the room as Dr. Briefs poked his head in, "Need anything?" 

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he glared at the silver-haired man and breathed, "No. Leave us be." 

"Reeeeeoooowwww!" Meowed the cat on Dr. Brief's shoulder as the door slowly closed again. 

Piccolo shook his head in disgust and returned his attention to the other Namekian. Setsu's mouth had fallen partially open to show hints of his fangs. His teeth were in good shape, which was nice considering the condition the rest of his body was in. 

"Sleep now. I'll be close by." Said Piccolo as he slid away from the bed to settle against the wall. As soon as he closed his eyes, the sheets on the bed rustled and feet shuffled. The Namek, annoyed, lifted his eyelids to see Setsu wandering back towards the center of the room. 

He quickly got to his feet and intercepted the other green figure. "No." His green hands came to rest on a pair of narrow shoulders, gently guiding the thinner frame back to bed. "Why are you doing this, Setsuetsu? What's in the middle of the room that fascinates you so much?" 

No response. 

Piccolo sighed and rolled his eyes, "No more wandering around." Again, Setsu started to sit up, and again, strong hands grasped his shoulders and guided him to lie down, the motion punctuated by a deep voice, "No." 

Setsu's lips parted and he strained, but not in attempt to get up. His tongue moved around behind his teeth as if searching for a place to rest against an un-shaped palate, and a strange nasal sound issued from his throat, "N-n-nooooo…" 

That sound made Piccolo freeze in his tracks. Setsu had just spoken his first word! Piccolo blinked, narrowed his eyes and lowered to peer into the other Namek's distant eyes. "Did you just speak? Or was that my own mind playing foolish pranks?" He blinked when there wasn't a response, shrugged to himself and moved away. 

"N-nooo…" Setsu mumbled again when Piccolo moved away. His voice was deep and almost exactly like Piccolo's, but it sounded hallow and nasal because he lacked speaking experience. He had no idea what the word 'no' meant, of course, but at least he was picking up the sounds and copying them. Piccolo knew now that Setsuetsu would be able to learn to speak, and it would be best to teach him the words and their meanings as he went along. 

Teaching him wasn't going to be easy, but at least it was able to be done. Before, it had looked pretty bleak. 

Piccolo sighed to himself as the excitement of the moment wore off passed his hand over Setsu's eyes to close them. "Rest now…" He paused and struggled with his pride to let the next comment slip out, "I'm very proud of you, Setsu. Very proud. Tomorrow, I'll start teaching you how to talk. So rest until then." He kept his hand over the other Namek's eyes for a moment before sliding away, feeling genuinely better than he had earlier. 

_Time is all you need now, and I hope I have enough to show you what you need, Setsu_. 

Piccolo smiled as he settled next to the bed and lowered his head to meditate. He knew the next day was going to be rather interesting. 


	3. Barriers

**Author's note - Lost my old comp and everything on it to a virus and had to get a job because my mean ol' parents wouldn't buy me a new one. Took me this long to get enough money for the purchase(damn minimum wage job). I am TERRIBLY SORRY for making you all wait this long. My updates may be far between because I'm very busy working, but I'll try to get this story done. Again, I'm horribly, terribly, honestly sorry and I beg your forgiveness.**   
  
  


_The Mysterious Namek_   
_Episode Three: "Barriers"_

_Ever close your eyes?_   
_Ever stop and listen?_   
_Ever feel alive?_   
_And you've nothing missing_   
_You don't need a reason_   
_Let the day go on and on_

_Let the rain fall down_   
_Everywhere around you_   
_Give into it now_   
_Let the day surround you_   
_You don't need a reason_   
_Let the rain go on and on_

_What a day, what a day to take to_   
_What a way, what a way to make it through_   
_What a day, what a day to take to a wild child_

_Only take the time_   
_From the helter skelter_   
_Every day you find_   
_Everything's in kilter_   
_You don't need a reason_   
_Let the day go on and on_

_Every summer sun_   
_Every winter evening_   
_Every spring to come_   
_Every autumn leaving_   
_You don't need a reason_   
_Let it all go on and on_

_What a day, what a day to take to_   
_What a way, what a way to make it through_   
_What a day, what a day to take to a wild child_

_What a day, what a day to take to_   
_What a way, what a way to make it through_   
_What a day, what a day to take to a wild child_

_What a day, what a day to take to_   
_What a way, what a way to make it through_   
_What a day, what a day to take to_   
_Da-da-da_   
_Da-da-da-da-da-da_   
_What a way, what a way to make it through_   
_Da-da-da_   
_Da-da-da-da-da-da_   
_Da-da-da_   
_Da-da-da-da-da-da_   
_What a way, what a way to make it through_   
_What a day, what a day to take to a wild child_   
_What a day, what a day to take to a wild child_   
--Enya, "Wild Child"   
  


Bulma placed a rectangular object down in front of Setsuetsu, who was paying little attention to her. It was clear he had the attention span of a baby. Teaching him wasn't as easy as Piccolo had previously thought. Especially when he was this fickle. 

Setsu finally lowered his eyes to the object lying on the bedsheets. Though he was starting to come out of his odd catatonic state for the first time in three weeks, he still seemed so distant. As if the motor was running, but nobody was steering. The world and everything in it was a terrifying place. 

"Setsu...this is a book." Bulma tried again. She watched the thin Namek stare at the book for a period of ten seconds, then look away. "You can say 'book'. C'mon, try it." 

Setsuetsu just made a moaning noise. He pushed the thin black book away and let it fall off the bed. 

Bulma sighed and stood up, stretching her back and arms a little, "This is just like Annie Sullivan trying to get through to Helen Keller. There has to be something to break through to him…" 

"As if it would come to him in this closed-up piece of crap room." Piccolo's voice shot across the room, the tone cold and biting. 

Bulma whirled around to face the tall Namek. Piccolo was standing half in shadow with his arms crossed, leaning back with one foot propped against the wall. His thin lips were drawn into their usual tight straight line, offering no outward clues to his hidden emotions. 

"Then what do you think we should do with him? Throw him into a world he can't comprehend?" She asked sharply. 

A corner of Piccolo's mouth drew up to reveal half of a gleaming fang, "Yeah. If it shut him down, it might start him back up again." 

"Or make him worse. He could die of fear, you know." Bulma crossed her arms defensively and eyed the Namek in the shadows. His presence made her nervous. 

"Tch." Piccolo clicked his tongue rudely, "I'm taking him out to the valley." 

In the midst of the discussion, Setsu stared at the ceiling. The argument beside him went in one ear and right out the other. At least it seemed that way until he suddenly mumbled words that held no meaning to him, "No, book, box, floor!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he fell still again as if he'd never spoken. 

Stopped by the outburst, Bulma blinked and look down at Setsu's still form. She sighed and ran a hand through her blue hair, "Well...I guess that's progress." 

"He doesn't know what those words mean! They're just noises to him! This is why I need to get him out of here...he can't learn enough when he's being pampered." 

"What if -" 

"I talk, you listen, human." 

Her jaw snapped shut at the rude way in which she was called a human. She was too shocked to say anything, instead just staring at the Namekian while he began to speak again. 

"I saw the printouts from his examination." He began coldly, "I don't know if he'll ever learn to take care of himself, but if he can I'm going to make him try. And if he can't, I'll just put him out of everyone's misery. No child of mine is going to live like a coddled infant." 

"You can't just kill him because he doesn't live up to what you expect him to be, Piccolo!" She snapped. "You - " 

"I'm taking Setsuetsu out of here. If you don't like it, then look the other way." Piccolo growled, uncurling from the wall and striding towards the bed with graceful steps. He pushed himself between the bed and Bulma as he lowered his hands to lift Setsuetsu. As soon as his palms encountered the other Namek's skin, he growled, "You go through all these foolish pains to care for him and not once did you take his temperature! Has it occurred to you that he has a fever!? No wonder he's unresponsive, you fool!" 

Bulma's cheek twitched and she clenched her hands into tight fists. Piccolo was really getting under her acrylic nails and pissing her off. "I thought his skin being warm was normal!" 

"You fool! A Namek's body temperature is lower than a human's," He growled low, made sure Setsu had his blanket and carefully lifted him off the bed. Not another word was said to Bulma as he walked out the door, down the hall and into the cool evening air. 

And Bulma just stood there, watching, powerless to stop him.   
  


Half an hour's worth of flying brought Piccolo to a gentle landing near a waterfall surrounded by trees. He carefully sat Setsu up against a tree and went to work breaking down branches with loud cracking noises that could be heard throughout the valley. Setsu didn't respond to the obnoxious noise, staring straight ahead like a corpse. 

Piccolo huffed to himself, wondering why he let himself get into this mess as he stripped the branches and wove the strips together as tightly as a basket to form an intricate oval-shaped structure. Pure instinct was driving him to make a suitable place for his adult 'child' to rest, but not even he was aware of it until he finished. 

His first thought was to destroy it, but then again, where would Setsu lay? 

"I don't like it…" Piccolo reassured himself, "There is no way this bond can grow so strong! No way in hell!" 

During his father's rant, Setsuetsu sat like a statue where he was placed with his limbs stiffly positioned the way they happened to be sitting when he was put down. Piccolo's voice came to him as a distant echo from the end of a long tube. Enough to be heard, but not enough to be understood. 

When Piccolo had exhausted his brief loss in temper, he not-too-gently unfurled the white blanket from Setsuetsu's statuesque form and laid it in the bed. Then he picked the other Namekian up and placed him gently upon it, pushing him to lie flat. 

"I would tell you to stay here, but you're not going anywhere, so just forget about it." Piccolo rumbled. He flipped his cape over his shoulder, turned and started towards the muddy riverbank beneath the waterfall. When he reached a spot with sufficient mud, he scooped some up, moistened it further and rolled it between his hands until it became an earthen clay. He reached for a nearby aloe vera plant, broke it open and mixed the fluid inside with the clay. 

No thought passed through his mind and no emotion flickered on his features as he rose and returned to Setsu's side. Only when he looked down did he sigh mentally. 

_C'mon, Setsuetsu…_

Piccolo lowered to sit indian style next to the nest and scraped some of the muddy clay off his palm. He spread a thin coating out over the pale Namekian's forehead, a remedy he had often used on himself whenever he came down with a fever. The mud would act as a seal while the aloe vera juice reduced the heat in his body. 

Using the technique on someone else proved to be much more awkward than doing it to himself. 

Setsuetsu made a soft cooing noise at the sudden increase in physical contact, as if he craved being touched. He even made eye contact with intensely focused eyes, fully awake and aware. Piccolo happened to look down at the right moment and see the difference. 

"Setsuetsu?" 

Setsu didn't reply, he just stared intently until Piccolo's hand withdrew. It was like hitting an off-switch, the way he seemed to return to his strange unconsciousness as soon as the physical contact ceased. Piccolo allowed one of his hairless brow ridges to rise as his mind worked its way into a swirl of confusion. 

_Oh come on, you can't tell me I have to pamper him to make him wake up... _He thought to himself_._ He finished spreading the muddy paste over the other Namek's forehead and backed away like he was the plague. _Just why did you have to come *here* of all places and times? Huh!? Why HERE!? Why to me?!_

Of course, no reply came. 

Piccolo snarled and assumed the lotus position a few yards away from where Setsu was lying. He lowered his head and began to think about something he'd glimpsed while Bulma was drawing his blood. Something on the wall with an article about electro-therapy for catatonic people in what he called the dark ages. He never did learn much about or have any interest in medical science. 

_…could he be stuck that way and unable to come out even if he wills himself to? No! No son of mine would be that weak!_

But the thought persisted. 

_Something has to be awake in there. Nobody can live mindlessly like that forever._

"_Shimatta…_" He forced himself to walk closer to Setsu's half-conscious form and placed a hand on the top of his head. "Either this will kill you…or help. You won't like it no matter what way it's done. So I'm just going to do it." With that, he released a stream of electromagnetic energy that pulsed between his fingers and sent the other Namek's body into a fit of violent convulsions. Two pulses directly into the brain. 

Setsuetsu's slavering, animalistic scream reached beyond the forest and into the valley. He burst into tears when the painful hand removed itself from his cranium. He began to writhe as a secondary seizure from the sudden shock overtook his brain. The electricity jolted him straight up above the flames he knew as his world. He shivered in his new surroundings and opened his eyes as light reached them fully. Light from the sun. Light from the sky. Light from the world. 

Piccolo couldn't believe himself. He was feeling guilty for inflicting pain on this poor creature! Or was he feeling something from Setsu? It was impossible to tell. All he knew was that instinct, disguised as guilt, was rushing to the surface, and nothing he did could force him to fight it off. 

Before he even realized he was moving, Piccolo placed his hand on Setsu's forehead in an awkward gesture of comfort. The poor Namek's cries ceased after a time, when tears had finally drowned out the agony. He fell asleep again, leaving his father in another swirl of confusion.   
  


Falling crystals surrounded him, coming down from every direction. Perhaps if he could catch one, he could keep it. 

Climbing to his feet, he walked towards the glittery things falling from the sky and thrust his hands out. They felt cool, but every time they touched his skin, they disappeared and made his hands shiny! 

As the sky grew brighter, it revealed itself to be gray. He didn't care. All he wanted was to play in the magic falling crystals. 

Them something else caught his eye. Something green on the bottom with pink and white on the top. He stretched out a hand to touch the pink parts surrounding the white and discovered a softness unlike any he'd ever known. The falling crystals were landing gently on the pink parts, dotting it with sparkles. 

It would be a perfect gift. 

In silence, he grasped the pretty thing and pulled it gently from the ground.   
  


Morning came and awakened the world to a dreary, rainy dawn. Droplets from the sky came down in torrents, pattering into the earth, hissing past leaves and gurgling into streams. Piccolo lifted his head from his meditation in the midst of the Earth's music and lowered his gaze to the interwoven branches he'd gathered for Setsu to sleep on. 

It was empty, but the blanket was still there. A sudden giggle turned Piccolo's gaze towards the edge of the trees, where Setsu was standing in the rain with a flower in his hands. He was examining it like the most fascinating little thing in the world. 

Piccolo's expression grew amused. He dropped down from where he was hovering and walked cautiously towards Setsuetsu. "Hey, what're you doing?" 

The childlike Namek startled at the sound and stopped poking at the flower long enough to look over his shoulder at Piccolo. His expression grew sour at first, then returned to its curious placidness, as if he had already forgiven the pain delivered to his brain last night. 

Setsuetsu grunted and lowered his eyes to the flower in his hand, once again remembering its presence. He reached over to grab Piccolo's wrist, pulled his hand closer and placed the still-glittering blossom on his palm. The pink flower contrasted greatly against the darker Namek's skin, sparkling like a gem encrusted treasure. 

Piccolo glared down at the flower in his hand, "What's this for?" 

Before he could complain further, Setsu grabbed his wrist again and proceeded to tug him out under the torrential rain. He gripped Piccolo's free hand and thrust the open palm under the droplets. It was the only way he could show off this really neat discovery of the magical falling crystals that disappeared when touched. 

"Big deal. It's just rain." Piccolo yanked his hand free and rubbed his wrist. 

"Rrrr...ain." Setsuetsu stuttered. 

Piccolo pointed to the sky where the rain was coming from, "Yeah. Rain. It comes from the clouds and cleans the earth." 

Setsu's smoldering eyes turned to gaze in wonder at the fast-moving gray things floating high above him. Suddenly the entire sky lit up in blazing glory and a loud rumble roared across the valley. Frightened by the sound, Setsuetsu dashed towards Piccolo and wrapped his arms around his waist, hiding his face in his chest. Just where did that big boom come from? 

With a sigh, Piccolo pried the frightened Namek's arms off of him, "Looks like we're having a thunderstorm," he said as the rain poured down harder, snarling through the trees and battering the ground. "Come on, let's get under cover." 

Setsuetsu dashed away from Piccolo to grab his blanket. He looked a little sad when it sagged, sopping wet in his hands. A whine rolled from his throat and he looked over at Piccolo with dejected eyes and wilted antennae. 

"Come on, it's just wet." The older Namek approached the younger one and guided him towards a cave nearby. Setsu followed obediently, clinging tightly to his precious white treasure. Another flash of lightning and crash of thunder sent him scurrying into the cave Piccolo was taking him to. Piccolo sighed again, rumbling, "I swear...I've seen rats with more courage than this poor kid..." 

Giving the storm another huff, Piccolo entered the cave and felt around in the dark for the small pile of firewood he kept for such emergencies. When he found it he blasted it with a weak ball of ki, starting a small fire that lit up the cave. Then he shook himself like a sleepy bear to get the excess rainwater off his sparkling skin. A few clear droplets hissed and evaporated as they fell helplessly into the fire. 

Setsu was absolutely fascinated by the dancing orange wisps rising from the wood. Piccolo was worried that it would scare him back into his "conscious coma", but his concern proved unwarranted. Setsuetsu was staring at the flames with haunted, intense eyes. 

"Fire," Piccolo explained, "It gives light and warmth. It has the power to both create and destroy. If you respect it, it won't hurt you." 

"...Ffffire." the younger Namek imitated the word. He edged closer and reached a hand out towards the flames. 

Piccolo gasped and grabbed Setsu's wrist with a strong hand, "No." 

"No?" 

"It'll burn you. Fire is to be admired, not touched." 

Setsuetsu sighed and pulled his hand free as he turned back to the fire. He stared at it with faraway eyes, lost in thought and confused. Then something in his mind flared. This dancing orange substance looked just like the swirling hot material he saw all around when he was born. They had to be the same thing! 

Something clicked into place. The key to his mind was in the lock and just needed to turn. 

Pointing to the fire, Setsuetsu said, "Fire." 

"Yeah," Piccolo settled into the lotus position against the wall, his skin gleaming a goldish hue from the flickering flames. It seemed more like an adornment to his sharp features rather than a source of warmth and light. 

Before Piccolo could stop him, Setsuetsu grabbed a forked twig with dried leaves still clinging to it. He shoved it into the fire and pulled it out, watching it burn. "Fire!" He waved the stick around. Piccolo stretched an arm out to snatch it away before his childlike counterpart wound up burning himself. 

Piccolo added the burning stick to the small campfire as he turned to Setsuetsu, frowning in thought. "Yes, it's fire." 

Setsu grinned toothily, his innocent features half-shadowed in the firelit cave. Piccolo almost heard his mind click with realization. He watched the other Namekian point outside at the water falling from the sky, "Rain!" He scrambled off the dusty floor and bolted outside into the storm. He was laughing and letting the droplets fall against his lettuce-hued face and hands. "Rain!" 

Shaking his head, Piccolo didn't bother hiding his smile. Setsu had finally made a small connection with the world around him. At least some words wouldn't be meaningless to him anymore. Piccolo heaved himself up off the forest floor and plodded outside where he found the other Namek staring at the sky. He could tell he was looking at the world with new eyes. Eyes hungry for knowledge and understanding. 

Piccolo crossed his arms and watched Setsuetsu look around, squinting through the misty rain drifting down. He took the flower from his belt and approached him. "Setsuetsu." He held the flower up so the other Namek would see it. "Flower." 

Setsu touched the soft petals. "Flower." Then he pushed it back towards Piccolo so he'd keep it. "Flower!" He exploded again, laughing as he dashed back into the cave. "Flowerflowerflowerflower!" He reappeared and bolted into the dripping, rain-soaked forest. Piccolo had no choice but to chase after him.   
  


Gohan sighed as he finished the last algebra problem in his workbook. The clouds were breaking. Morning sun streamed into the window across his desk and hands while he checked himself for mistakes. He rubbed off part of an equation with his pencil eraser and re-worked the error he'd discovered. Finally the work was done. 

"I wonder how Piccolo and Setsuetsu are doing," Gohan said to himself, leaning back with his hands linked behind his head. "Maybe I'll just call Bulma and see." The young boy slipped out into the hallway and picked up the phone. He was glad his mother had gone into town for groceries, he didn't have to worry about her overhearing his conversation.   
  


Bulma was just coming out of the shower when the phone in her room rang. Her wet hair clung to the nape of her neck and shoulders. She wrapped her naked body in a towel and hurried to answer the phone, struggling to hold her only source of modesty up while clutching the receiver. Despite her efforts it still fell down to expose one naked breast. She gave it another yank up and re-covered herself, grumbling, "Hello?" 

"Hi, it's Gohan. How's Setsu?" 

"Oh," Bulma disguised the disgust in her voice with a sigh. "Piccolo took him out to...I think it was a valley or something. Anyway, he's gone." 

"I know where he is! Thanks, Bulma! Bye!" 

Click. 

She blinked at his hasty farewell. "...you're welcome."   
  


Piccolo, soaked and not too pleased at being in such a state, led a very excited and sopping wet Setsuetsu back to the cave. Not an easy task. The paler Namek kept breaking free and trying to run away. It took Piccolo three tries to finally coax him back under cover where it was dry and warm. 

Only then did Setsu realize he was wet and cold. He flung his clothes off and huddled close to the fire, shivering. Water droplets gave his pale green skin a sparkling sheen against the flames. 

Piccolo glanced down at his own clothes. They were so wet they felt heavy and clung to his muscular frame. A quick ki wave dried him off instantly. He touched Setsu's head to do the same. 

Setsuetsu freaked, screaming at the top of his lungs. He struck out at Piccolo's hand with his sharp nails. A sudden move that drew blood. 

Piccolo instantly brought his palm down at Setsu's cheek. Gohan used to receive the same strike whenever he misbehaved. It never phased him. 

But it was excruciating to Setsu. He screamed and collapsed, holding his cheek in agony. Not understanding why pain was being inflicted on him. He stared up at Piccolo with wounded eyes and scooted away until the wall stopped him. Why did this caretaker like to cause him pain? 

"You're impossible," Piccolo growled. Just then he felt something warm seep into his shoes. He glared at the other Namek. "Can't you control yourself?!" 

Setsu just wilted further against the wall. He didn't even know he was doing it. 

"Humph. I guess you don't understand the needs of the body yet. Perhaps I'll show you later." Piccolo looked down at the small scratches on his knuckles and palms. They were already healing and only present as small purple marks. 

Showing Setsuetsu would probably work. He was pretty good at mimicry. That is...if he could ever teach him the entire world wasn't a scary place.   
  


Gohan landed lightly outside Piccolo's cave. Water droplets dripped off an overhang just above the cave's mouth and made soft plop-plop noises on the rocks below. Gohan walked forward through a few puddles and poked his head into the opening. 

Piccolo was meditating by one wall, an unclothed Setsu sat curled up against another. One hand clutching his cheek. He sobbed inconsolably - and Piccolo just sat there without doing anything! 

"Setsu!" Gohan raced to the frightened Namek's side. 

"Gohan, don't touch him." 

"He's hurt!" he protested. 

"He was reprimanded." Piccolo didn't move anything other than his mouth to speak. His tone was deadpan as usual, though deep and filling the cave. 

"For what?" 

"Attacking me when I was trying to help him." 

Gohan faced Piccolo fully. He agreed with a lot of what Piccolo did, but this one just didn't sit well in his mind. "He probably thought _you_ were attacking _him_. You can't scold him for something when he was merely reacting on instinct." 

The older Namek scowled at his student, "He must learn somehow. Until Setsuetsu understands the world around him, I will have to treat him like an untrained animal...for his own safety. That includes letting him know it's _not_ okay to strike out at me. It can't be just me, Gohan. We all have to teach him." 

"So he can't strike you, but you can strike him?" Gohan didn't look convinced. A corner of his mind told him he should just back off, but he ignored it. 

Piccolo emitted a warning growl. "He is my son, that means I'm the one in charge of him. I refuse to coddle him. He'll learn to be self-sufficient." 

"And if he can't?" 

"You ask too many questions." His voice carried the familiar leave-me-alone tone Gohan was all too familiar with. 

_What's with Piccolo lately? Ever since Setsuetsu came along he's been more uptight than ever! I've never seen him so...cranky,_ wondered Gohan silently as he switched his gaze between the two Nameks. 

Little did Gohan know that Piccolo's conscience was eating away at him for making Setsuetsu suffer. Back in the days when he was evil he wouldn't have given hurting innocent people a single thought. But with Kami and Nail in him, their guilt wore away at him like rock eroding over the eons. 

"Well," Gohan scuffed his shoes against the cave floor and turned away. "I guess you guys need to be left alone. Sorry I bothered you." 

"Shake it off, kid." Piccolo said. "Forget not that I trained you the same way. Setsu will just take longer." 

That made him feel a little better. "Okay. Well I better get going. Mom probably has another assignment ready for me to study." 

"Does that woman ever give you a break?" 

Gohan just grinned and scrambled out into the sunlight. Piccolo's ears and ki senses followed his retreat. Then he pulled his flask off his belt, undid the cork and took a long drink. 

Setsuetsu's teary eyes followed the sound. His tongue darted out to lick his dry lips, but he didn't dare venture over. 

"Drink." Piccolo lowered his flask and eyed Setsu. Sighing, he held out the container and shook it so the water sloshed. "Water." 

"W-waaaater." Setsu snatched the flask and drained every last drop. With the way he was emaciated, Piccolo wasn't surprised if he figured out a way to drink an entire river. He certainly needed the nourishment after his body nearly cannibalized itself to stay alive. So much so that mineral water and meat broth might be necessary to make his body healthy again. 

Setsuetsu seemed to forgive Piccolo's anger after being offered water. He crawled over, pushed Piccolo's turban off and grabbed one of his antennae. 

Pain wracked Piccolo's skull. A sweep of his hand grabbed both of Setsu's wrists. He growled menacingly. "Pain. No." 

Setsu wilted. "Paaaaaain?" 

He put Setsu's hand on the bruise he inflicted earlier. "Yes. Pain." 

The younger Namek winced. Tears trembled in his dark eyes. He pulled his arms free and traced two fingers down the front of Piccolo's throat. Or at least as much of it as he could touch over the collar of his cape. "Pain...pain..." The tears cascaded down his pale cheeks. 

"No pain, Setsuetsu. See?" Piccolo pulled his collar down so Setsu could see his entire throat. He realized how silly that was, Setsu just poked at his neck even more. Probably looking for the hole that didn't exist. A touch he wasn't entirely comfortable with. He adjusted his clothing again and went on, "You're probably wondering how I'm in one piece again...well that isn't something I can explain to you now. Not until you can understand everything I say to you." 

Setsu withered down into Piccolo's lap. He pressed his cheek to the older Namek's thigh and sobbed quietly, his tears soaking into the thick purple cloth. 

Piccolo sighed quietly to himself. His clothing rustled as he lowered a tapered hand and cupped Setsu's bald green head in his palm. The difference in their skin tones was as obvious as the contrast between a Caucasian and an African American human. His gesture was answered with soft sniffling. 

"I know it's hard for you. I can't pretend to understand your pain. Perhaps when you learn to speak, you will be able to tell me all you know of where you came from." Piccolo glanced down to discover Setsu had fallen sound asleep. An almost tender smile twitched the corners of his sharp lips, barely visible in the dying firelight and bits of sunshine touching his face. "I promise that no harm will ever come to you while you're in my care. You're my son and I will do my best to help you understand this world. It won't be easy and it will be frightening at times...but I will do all I can to give you the knowledge you need to survive." 

_I just hope I can give him what he needs...he's so innocent and unaware of everything...I hate the idea of tearing away his oblivion of the world_. He moved his hand away after that, turning his attention to the dying campfire. It created flickering patterns in his black eyes. The smile left his expression._ He doesn't know hate, anger or a broken heart. I'm about to change all that, but will it be for the better?_


	4. A Shocking Discovery

  
  
  


_The Mysterious Namek_   
_Episode Four: "A Shocking Discovery."_

  
  
  
  
  
  


_A warning sign_   
_I missed the good part, then I realized_   
_I started looking and the bubble burst_   
_I started looking for excuses_   
_Come on in_   
_I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in_   
_I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones_   
_That I started looking for a warning sign_

_When the truth is, I miss you_   
_Yeah the truth is, that I miss you so_

_A warning sign_   
_It came back to haunt me, and I realized_   
_That you were an island and I passed you by_   
_And you were an island to discover_

_Come on in_   
_I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in_   
_I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones_   
_That I started looking for a warning sign_

_When the truth is, I miss you_   
_Yeah the truth is, that I miss you so_

_And I'm tired, I should not have let you go_   
_Oooooooo_

_So I crawl back into your open arms_   
_Yes I crawl back into your open arms_   
_And I crawl back into your open arms_   
_Yes I crawl back into your open arms_.   
- Coldplay, "Warning Sign"   
  


Black wax drew a thick line across crisp white paper. Eyes as dark as the marking object watched in fascination as the small hand "magically" created patterns on the flat thing. The line curved up, went around and back down. The eyes followed its every move, not even blinking. 

Gohan looked up and smiled. "See, Setsu? It's a crayon. You use it to draw and color things in." 

Setsuetsu licked his lips. "Cuh...crrrayon." 

"Yeah, crayon. Here." Gohan handed the crayon to Setsu and guided his hand to draw a few lines on a clean sheet of paper. "See, you just push down a little and move your hand. It'll make a picture." 

"Pic...picture." 

He'd been increasing his vocabulary a lot over the past few weeks. Mostly the names of objects and people. More complicated terms like adjectives hadn't yet come to him. Sentences were still a long way off. But he was talking, using words in a meaningful way. 

Setsuetsu bent close to the paper and streaked the black crayon aimlessly. His first piece of art consisted of childlike scribbles sprinkled haphazardly across the paper. No structure at all. Then he discovered he could trace his hand - after Gohan showed him how. 

Then he seemed to realize...maybe he could draw the pictures he had inside his head. 

"Crayons!" Setsu squealed in delight. He overturned the box to send different colors spilling out into his lap. 

"Hey!" 

The Namek ignored Gohan's complaint. He was too busy scribbling red and orange across the bottom of a clean sheet. "Fire," was his only explanation. 

"Great, now he'll never be quiet." 

Gohan glanced to the cave's mouth and grinned. There stood Piccolo with an armload of herbs gathered in a leather pouch. He reached into the pouch, moved to Setsu's side and produced a small twig. Bright pink berries dangled like glass baubles. Shaking it once to get the other Namek's attention, he waited. 

"Setsu, what are these?" 

Perturbed by the interruption, Setsuetsu frowned up at the berries. His mind was so focused on drawing that he couldn't remember what those things were called. He just grunted, "picture," and went back to scribbling on the page. 

"I think he's busy," said Gohan as he watched Setsu scribble. The guy really seemed intent on getting down whatever he was drawing. 

"Setsu," he touched the paper, "Can I - " 

"NO!" Thin green hands instantly pushed the others away. "Nooooo!" 

"Okay, okay..." He looked up at Piccolo, "Let's let him draw." 

Piccolo nodded without a word, leaving the berries next to Setsu. He assumed the lotus position behind the younger Namek and stared at his back. Able to see his shoulderblades even through his shirt. The desire to reach out and touch that warm back...to comfort...burned hard within him. 

"What do you want to do?" 

"We wait, Gohan, and see what he's creating." Piccolo's dark eyes leveled with Gohan's. "At first I didn't like this idea. But now that I think of it...he can express himself. Primitively, but he can speak to us." 

So they sat back and waited. Both watching Setsuetsu's hands fly. 

Finally, after almost half an hour, Setsu pushed the crayons off his lap and examined his work. He turned around and shoved it in Piccolo's face. 

It looked like a toddler's drawing. Red and orange scribbled around the bottom. Stick figures littered all around. A green stick figure inside a bubble that Piccolo guessed was the time machine. The image depicted white and purple falling from under the head. Setsu pointed to the green figure and tapped Piccolo's leg, then pointed at a squiggle in the figure's arms and tapped himself. 

Then he pointed to something else and tapped Piccolo's throat. 

Piccolo's eyes flew open wide. He made a shocked noise. "Gohan, we have to see Bulma _now!_"   
  


Contrary to what Piccolo and Gohan first thought, Setsuetsu had no qualms about being flown from one place to another. In fact he seemed so curious that Piccolo almost dropped him a few times. It was definitely safe to say the mineral water, berries and broth were working. Setsu was physically stronger and more active than when he first arrived. 

"What do you think it means, Piccolo?" 

"I don't want to say anything until I'm sure myself, Gohan." Piccolo tucked Setsuetsu closer to his chest. His natural frown deepened. "But it'll give us a deeper insight to his past and behavior." 

"Right." Gohan dove down towards the bright green lawn in front of the Capsule Corporation building. He touched down lightly. Piccolo landed a few feet away, put Setsu down and kept a hand firmly on his shoulder. 

Setsuetsu remembered this place. Vaguely, but enough. Sharp things poked him here. He didn't like that...with a small whimper he pressed himself closer to Piccolo. A motion reminiscent of a frightened toddler. 

"Gohan, tell Bulma we are here. I'll wait out here until she calls us in. Less chance of Setsuetsu becoming frightened." 

"Right." 

Gohan hurried into the bright yellow dome. 

Setsu turned away from it. He pressed himself against Piccolo and shivered. Delicate fingers curled against purple cloth. His intense eyes spied Vegeta's gravity machine. To him it was a monster. He whimpered deep in his throat, his eyes squeezing shut. 

"Hey, you're okay." Piccolo removed the white blanket from Setsuetsu's hands and wrapped it around his shoulders. Setsu instantly cooed in delight. He smiled that wide, innocent smile of his that lit his face and relaxed against his father's chest. Comforted by the strong heartbeat beside his ear. 

Piccolo lifted Setsu back into his arms. Just in time - Setsu fell asleep. He seemed able to sleep anywhere, anytime. 

Less than a moment later, Gohan poked his head out the door. His youthful face looked a little sheepish. "Okay, she's ready for us...sorry that took so long, she had to get rid of Vegeta. Let's go before he figures out what's going on." 

The Namek nodded without a word and followed Gohan into the building. Setsu slept on in his arms. Not even moving as he was shifted through elevators, slipped past doorways and finally laid to rest on a soft yellow couch in the laboratory. 

Bulma stood off to the side. She'd thrown a white lab coat on over her clothes and didn't look too pleased with the invasion of her lab. "So, what's this big deal you're in an uproar about? Do you realize how annoying Vegeta gets when I won't tell him what's going on around here?" 

"This is more important than your foolish domestic problems." said Piccolo with little emotion. "We need to see the mummy and the scans." 

"Right..." Bulma sighed. She turned to the computer behind her and brought up the scans. "The eggshells made seeing everything a problem. They must have some chemical properties that make them immune to magnetic and X-ray energy. What's so important that you have to look at it right now?" 

Gohan looked anxiously from the scans to Piccolo. He knew the Namek's patience wouldn't last much longer. "Bulma, please, just do as Piccolo says!" 

"Bulma," Piccolo met her eyes, "You will have to dissect the mummy. You'll see why when you look at this picture Setsuetsu drew." As he spoke, Piccolo took the paper from his belt and unfolded it. "Look at the stick figure's neck. It will explain the large amount of eggshells in the mummy's throat." 

Bulma examined the childlike crayon art. There was the green squiggle in "Piccolo's" arms.. 

And another green squiggle in the stick figure's throat. 

Her eyes widened. "I'll get my dad." 

Ten minutes later, the group gathered around the dried out husk of Piccolo's future self. The body was carefully laid out on a metal table. Dr. Briefs oversaw everything as lab technicians worked delicately to remove egg debris from the gaping wound in the mummy's badly deformed neck. It had to be done slowly or they risked breaking the fragile objects apart. 

"Well I'll be damned..." 

Gohan and Piccolo bent over to look. Nestled inside the horrible wound was the mummified remains of another child. One who never had a chance. It was still curled up in the fetal position. Its eyes were closed as though asleep. Tiny face perfectly preserved, albeit plastered against the skull. 

"Twins." Gohan breathed. "Setsu's a twin. I didn't know Nameks could have twins!" 

"That would explain why the egg never made it through my mouth." Piccolo pointed to the wound, "Look at the shape...the egg was too large and hardened before it got past my throat. So I guess that means I suffocated, rather than died of that tiny wound I saw earlier. I must've lived just long enough to see Setsuetsu born and died before I could pull the second child out." He touched his own throat, "No wonder he's so interested in my throat. He is trying to find his brother...or trying to tell me he had a brother." 

"Or that he misses him." Gohan volunteered solemnly. 

Bulma reached down to touch the baby. It didn't crumble. Perfectly preserved. "We should name him. Better than calling him Twin Two. Piccolo? He was your son, you name him." 

A deep sigh rushed from Piccolo's nose. He gazed down at the tiny baby. The head was barely larger than his fist. He felt his emotions swirl just as they did the first time he saw his own mummy. A blink removed the tears welling in his eyes. "Zither...call him Zither. It means 'eternal sleeper'." 

No, he couldn't stay here. 

Piccolo spun and brushed out of the room. He clutched the wall around the corner, the other hand clapped over his eyes. Lips grimacing to bare his fangs in almost physical pain. His knees weakened and he slid down to sit on the hard tile floor, coldness seeping through his clothes. He never knew this child...why did seeing its remains affect him so? 

Tapered emerald fingers slid sideways and down. Moisture glistened between the eyelids. Piccolo's dark eyes opened to focus on Setsu's form a short distance away. Setsuetsu was awake and looking at him. The tears Piccolo's eyelids held back cascaded down his green cheeks. 

Setsuetsu rolled off the couch and crawled up to his father. He kissed Piccolo's mouth and caressed the tears off his face in an odd display of affection. Then he tasted his tear-moistened fingers and touched them to his own eyes. He looked again at Piccolo's baffled expression. 

"Shhh-shhh...daddy...daddydaddy." Setsu whispered as he brushed away the new droplets. "Daddy..." He touched Piccolo's throat. "Shhh..." 

Piccolo caught Setsu's hand. "No, Setsu, he's not there. He died. You know dead." 

"Dead..." 

"Yes, like the deer that didn't wake up." 

Setsuetsu showed a pain expression. Somehow, someway, in a corner of his mind he believed he'd find his brother. Dead meant he'd never wake up. Dead meant gone. 

A firecracker would've had a less explosive effect. 

"NO!" Setsuetsu burst out, pounding his fists into Piccolo's chest. The blows didn't even hurt. "NO! NO!" 

"Setsu, I'm sorry." 

"Noooooooo!" the younger Namek scrambled to his feet and stomped against the tile floor. Why was his brother gone? Why couldn't he see him? It made him...angry. "No! NONONONO! WANT! WANT!" 

"Setsuetsu, do you want to see him?" Piccolo stood up and caught Setsu by the shoulders. 

That quieted him down. 

"Come." 

Back in the room, Gohan and Bulma looked up when Piccolo entered. Setsuetsu was right behind him. 

"Cover the mummy. We only want the baby. My future self would only confuse him more." 

Bulma jumped up. "Right." 

Paper and cloth rustled. A minute later the miniature mummy named Zither was lying on top of a clean sheet. Against the whiteness, the body looked like a piece of sculpted charcoal. 

Piccolo nodded and stepped aside so Setsuetsu could enter. He led him gently up to the table. "See? Dead." 

Gohan ran a hand through his spiky hair. Edging to Bulma, he said, "Hey...let's give them a minute. Help me with that problem on my homework?" 

Bulma looked down. She ruffled Gohan's hair. "Sure! Let's go see what you've got." 

Piccolo and Setsuetsu didn't even notice the other two leaving. 

Setsu walked immediately to the table. He looked down at the tiny figure. Reached out to touch one withered antenna. Tears welled in his eyes when he got no reaction. He lifted the mummy into his arms and held it to his chest, weeping quietly. His grief was so great his knees caved in. 

Sighing a little, Piccolo knelt next to Setsuetsu. "Listen...Setsuetsu." 

He looked up. Tears pouring down from his eyes. For the first time in his life he was experiencing true heartbreak. 

"Nooo...no no no nooo..." 

"Hey," Piccolo laid his hands over Zither's miniature corpse. "Death is just a change of consciousness. Your body goes to sleep, but your spirit wakes up. It moves on to a place where you never feel pain again. The old become young again and the sick will be well when they arrive. People who went before will come to meet you when you arrive. It's called Heaven." 

Setsu looked up. "...H-Heaven?" 

"Yes, Heaven. Zither's there right now." Piccolo didn't know why he was explaining this in such a childish concept. Getting to Heaven was more complicated than he made it sound. Yet...it gave him comfort. As much as it seemed to help Setsuetsu. "Someday, when it's time to die, you'll see a light. Walk into it, and there you are. It's a great place. Don't be afraid of it." 

Setsuetsu met Piccolo's gaze again. Hope filled his sad eyes. He placed little Zither against Piccolo's chest, wrapped his arms around and grinned through the moisture on his cheeks. "Heaveeennnn..." 

"Yeah." Laying the mummy gently on the table and covering it with the sheet, Piccolo touched Setsuetsu's head. He found himself smiling when the other Namek leaned into his hand. Such a simple thing and it pleased his heart. He was just glad the others weren't here to see him with his walls down. "Now we just have to find out why you're here." 

"Heeeeere?" 

"Where you are right now. Come, it is time for your nourishment." Piccolo led Setsuetsu outside, gathered him in his arms and flew away. 

Oddly, during flight, Setsu started to sing. More like a lot of humming and cooing without a real tune...but it was like music. His own music. As if getting closure about his unborn brother let him open up to really let the world in. Immediately upon landing he tumbled from Piccolo's arms and scrambled into the cave. 

"Flowerrrrr!" 

Piccolo rolled his eyes and looked down at the bush near his feet. _Ah, what the heck..._ He plucked one of the white blossoms off the foliage, went inside and handed it to Setsu along with the fresh berries. 

Seeing him smile was worth it. 

After letting Setsu pick out what he liked from the stash, Piccolo exited the cave again. He headed to his favorite waterfall a short ways away. The dull roar and glistening spray comforted his mind. A brief smile flitted over his face. The water was warm. Perfect for bathing. 

Piccolo discarded his cape and turban on a rock. His hands grasped the edges of his blue belt and tugged. The sash came undone, falling at his feet. Soft mounds of purple landed nearby. 

Now naked as nature made him, the Namek walked on tip-toe into the warm, churning water. He dunked himself immediately and came back up again. Sparkling water rolled off his muscular body in rivulets. He shook his head like a cat and sighed. Oh it felt good, it'd been too long since he took a relaxing bath. He waded up to the rocks and stood under the waterfall. Careful hands scrubbing all the oil and sweat off his taut green skin. 

Setsuetsu peeked out from the foliage. It was the first time he saw Piccolo without clothes on. He couldn't help but explore his own body a little. Wow, they both had the same parts in all the same places! 

Setsu clumsily pulled off his clothes. Getting them on was impossible on his own, but he took them off like a pro. He dropped to all fours and crawled curiously up to the water. 

Another green person like himself stared back at him. Setsu poked the water's surface. The picture disappeared! 

"....no?" Alarmed, the young Namek crashed over to Piccolo. Grabbed his arm(startling ten years off his life) and practically hauled him back to the water's edge. He pointed to the reflection again. 

"Setsu!" growled Piccolo. He looked down towards where Setsu pointed and sighed. Still such a flighty thing. "It's just your reflection. Look, I have one too." 

"'flection." 

"Re - ah," Piccolo rolled his eyes. "...close enough. C'mon." He took Setsuetsu by the arm and led him under the waterfall. "Here, wash off. Like this." Piccolo demonstrated scrubbing motions over his own chest and stomach. 

Easy enough. Setsuetsu caught right on, which let Piccolo resume washing himself. It went well until Setsu turned around and grabbed Piccolo in a very embarrassing place. 

Needless to say, the older Namek's face turned purple. It was the first time anything other than his own hand and clothes touched him there. He looked over to see Setsu grabbing himself, too. "Setsu! No!" he snapped, "It's private! Hands off!" 

He jerked back as if burned. "No? Private?" 

"Yes, my penis private. So is yours." Piccolo's face couldn't have burned hotter. He did NOT like the idea of someone else's hand being _there_. Nor did he enjoy the odd sensation it created. Though evolution made the organs useless for sexual reproduction, they were still capable of erections and pleasurable sensations. Not that they had any reason to. "Don't ever touch me there again, understand? And don't fiddle with yours when others are watching. It isn't dignified." 

"Diiignified..." Setsuetsu wilted and hung his head. It felt good when he touched that, he just wanted to show Piccolo too! Why'd he get so mad? He slid down to sit. Huddling up knees-to-chest under the waterfall's spray. Droplets clung to his skin, making it glisten like dew-covered lettuce. 

His behavior made Piccolo sigh. Trying not to sound angry or annoyed tested his limits to their fullest. Sometimes dealing with Setsuetsu got downright embarrassing. Yet he wouldn't change a moment of it for the world. That Namek was awakening something inside him. Emotions he never knew he had. Uncomfortable as they were, he secretly welcomed their newness. 

Maybe, just maybe, he could loosen up for one minute. Now if he could just find a way to show him he wasn't mad... 

"Setsuetsu," Piccolo called the other Namek's attention. 

Setsu looked over, tilted his head and blinked. A motion like a curious bird. 

Piccolo slid into the shallow pool, sinking to sit. He submerged his mouth and exhaled forcefully. Blowing bubbles. Setsu instantly pointed and cracked up laughing. He scrambled into the water and attempted to create the same funny noise. 

"Bubbles. Say bubbles." 

"Bubbas!" Setsu babbled. 

Facepalm. 

"No, bubbles." 

"Bubbas!" He submerged his mouth again, his antennae twitching mischievously. Up to something. He'd just discovered he could do something else! He could squirt with his mouth! 

Piccolo watched him. "What are you - " 

Splurt! 

" - doing?" He gazed down at Setsuetsu with soft eyes and relaxed antennae. "So you want to be that way, eh? Try this." He splashed him. 

"Aah!" Setsu gasped. Burst out laughing. Splashed back. "BUBBAS!" 

And the waterfight began.   
  


Meanwhile, back at the Capsule Corporation, things were a lot more serious. 

"What's your theory now, Bulma?" Dr. Briefs snuffed his cigarette in the ashtray and leaned over his daughter's shoulder to examine the computer screen. Numbers, graphs and other scientific jargon littered the monitor. But he and Bulma could read it all like a complicated book. 

And it told a fascinating tale. 

"Well..." Bulma leaned back, stretching her arms and legs. She twisted her chair around to face her father. "I'm beginning to think the time machine malfunctioned soon after it was launched. Instead of going back twenty years in a few seconds, it went in reverse-real time. Yet inside the machine, time kept going forward." She scratched her head, closed her eyes and exhaled. "The machine drifted backwards through time until it ran out of power. When Setsu was born...the poor guy...he must've seen horrors he never understood. Look at this picture, it's as if the entire planet was on the brink of destruction when Piccolo's future self tried to get back here. Piccolo must've realized he wouldn't survive the trip and tried to give birth so the children could tell us everything. But that didn't work either...not like he planned." 

Dr. Briefs felt a shiver dance down his spine. "Now the question is...what caused the destruction?" 

Shaking her head, Bulma picked up the image Setsu drew. "We won't know until Setsu can tell us himself." She put it down again, "But dad, there's something else I'm worried about." 

"Oh?" 

"His immune system," said Bulma plainly. "He's never been exposed to anything. What if he gets a cold or the flu? What if he drinks stagnant water? What if he cuts his finger and it gets infected? It could kill him." 

Dr. Briefs smiled behind his mustache. "Or his body will adapt and he'll be fine. He's a Namek, remember? They have highly adaptive immune systems." 

"But dad, _what if?_" 


End file.
